Ding and Liu to miss Olympic test run

Grand Slam winner Ding Ning and reigning world champion Liu Shiwen will both miss Team China's Tokyo Olympic Games test competition next month.

The Chinese Table Tennis Association announced on Tuesday that the test event will be staged in Lingshui, Hainan province, from Aug 8-21.

The test run will follow the Tokyo Olympic Games program, with players to contest women's and men's singles, mixed doubles, and women's and men's team events.

Seedings for each category are based on the latest International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) world rankings.

Qin Zhijian, head coach of the Chinese men's team, said players have been in fine form since resuming training together.

"They need one week of concentrated training before the test run to recover their physical condition, and will gear up for the competition starting from August 1," said Qin.

Apart from players in the first and second-string national teams, veterans Zhang Chao and Hou Yingchao, as well as young paddler Lin Shidong, have also been called up for the upcoming matches.

Qin regards the competition as a chance to evaluate the players' training over the past six months, and also a starting point for the second half of 2020 to prepare for the world championships in 2021.

A total of 43 female paddlers will be present, including most players in the first and second-string teams. Mu Zi, Wu Yang and Hu Limei have also been recruited for the competition.

Li said that Ding is trying to make the most of this period to adjust her fitness and form.