NEW YORK, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Virginia Sung, a Chinese American lady who was just appointed as the CEO of USA Table Tennis (USATT), told Xinhua on Thursday that her experience as a teammate with Liu Guoliang, China's table tennis grand slam champion and then star coach, may be of help for her new career.

"With my background as a professional table tennis player both in China and the United States, and my experience in investment in both countries, I will try my best to push ahead the table tennis sport in the US," Sung said.

After a thorough search led by Search Committee Chair Carolyne Savine, Sung, who came to the United States at the age of 14 with her parents, became the first-ever Chinese-American CEO of USATT.

In the words of Anne Warner Cribbs, Chair of USATT's Board, "On behalf of the USATT Board of Directors, we are delighted to welcome Virginia Sung as the new CEO. With her lifelong experience in table tennis, her national and international contacts and friendships, her business acumen, and her passion for the sport of table tennis, we are all excited to work with her as she leads table tennis in the United States to new heights."

Sung joined China's Bayi Table Tennis Team at the age of 13 but moved to the United States a year later with her parents, and then entered the US national team.

As a player, she represented the USA on numerous occasions, including as a six-time member of the US World Championships team between 1993 and 2001, a finalist in the women's singles event at the 2001 National Championships, and the co-winner of National Champion Women's Doubles event in 1998.

Since leaving the US team, Sung has been in business and marketing in the United States for over 15 years, during which she founded and served as CEO of a number of large scale businesses in China, some with over 200 employees. She also holds a Bachelor of Philosophy from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Sung said, "I am honoured to be the new CEO of the USATT and to lead an organization that plays a vital role in a sport about which I care so deeply. Table tennis has been a huge part of my life and I embrace the sport in many ways. To me, this is not a job, but a calling to make USATT stronger and to grow the sport we all love so dearly."

Sung officially begins her role as USATT CEO next Monday, May 20, 2019.