The 29-year-old beat his team-mate Zhang Jike in the Rio 2016 gold medal match, with the achievement proving enough to earn the award at the prestigious China Central Television (CCTV) Sports Awards gala.

Ma saw off competition from a further four gold medallists from the Olympic Games, including 200 metre freestyle swimmer Sun Yang and badminton champion Chen Long.

The Chinese star, who is only the third player to complete the Grand Slam of winning Olympic, World Championship and World Cup titles, was the first male table tennis player to receive the award for 15 years.

"Table tennis players have not won any kind of awards in this event for the last seven years," said Ma, who also won the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Male Star Award for 2016.

"I am very honoured and very lucky to win it.

"Fans always say that I give them courage and power, but actually it is them who give me support and encouragement when I meet difficulties."

Women's singles table tennis Olympic champion Ding Ning missed out at the awards as volleyball player Zhu Ting scooped the Best Female Athlete prize.

Zhu was named the Most Valuable Player of the women's volleyball tournament at Rio 2016, where China beat Serbia in the final.

Volleyball's Lang Ping took the Coach of the Year award, after becoming the first person to secure Olympic gold as a player and then as a manager.

"It was a little torturous at the Olympics," she said, after seeing off the challenge of table tennis coach Liu Guoliang for the award.

"I hope my players will not torture me anymore."

The women's volleyball squad were named as the winners of the Team of the Year honour, while wheelchair fencer Rong Jing, a triple gold medallist at the Paralympic Games, received the disability award.