Ping-pong chief speeds through glue ban
ZAGREB: The world's table tennis chief is looking to avoid a sticky situation - by banning the use of "speed glue" in the game.
Solvent-based speed glue, which increases speed and spin but is hazardous to health, will be banned from September 1 if the International Table Tennis Federation's general meeting votes in favor of the ban today.
"As an ITTF President, it's my responsibility to protect players' health," said Adham Sharara on the third day of the World Championships.
Water-based glue will replace speed glue, which has been widely used by offensive players in the past decade or more.
The ITTF decided to ban speed glue in 2004 but the ban was postponed several times because players and table tennis equipment manufacturers were not ready.
In 2006, the ITTF set the start of the ban on September 1, 2008 when the Beijing Olympic ends.
But one incident changed it all.
Earlier this year, a middle-aged Japanese participant in a domestic table tennis tournament, who is a regular user of speed glue, passed out while re-gluing his rubber. He was hospitalized for over two weeks including six days in coma.
Sharara said he will prevent the incident from happening again even if the glue ban means the level of table tennis is sent back to 1988.
"One case is a big warning, a new case will be a disaster," said Sharara.
The ITTF boss said he is not worried about adaptability of players.
"Timo Boll might top-spin into the net (by using new glue). But will he keep top-spinning into the net after three months (of practice)? Players will adjust to new glue," Sharara said.
The Chinese men's team head coach hit out against the ITTF's attempt to advance the ban.
"The ITTF have changed a lot of rules in recent years and they are making unpopular decisions," said Liu Guoliang, whose playing career ended after the ITTF changed the service rules.
Liu now aims to be a coach as successful as his mentor Cai Zhenhua, who had led the Chinese men back to the top and is now a top Chinese sports administrator.
Liu's charges romped into the men's singles third round on Wednesday.
World top-ranked Ma Lin, Wang Liqin (No 2), Wang Hao (No 4), Chen Qi (No 7), Ma Long (No 8), Hao Shuai (No 10) and Hou Yingchao (No 12) all advanced to the last 32.
Germany's Timo Boll, Belarus' Vladimir Samsonov and Oh Sang Eun of South Korea, regarded as major threats to the Chinese team, also reached the third round.
In women's action, all the seven Chinese singles players - Zhang Yining, Wang Nan, Guo Yue, Guo Yan, Li Xiaoxia, Peng Luyang and Yao Yan cruised into the third round.
The only shock of the day was the defeat of Tie Yana by veteran American Wang Chen.
Wang, a former Chinese national player, upset the sixth-seeded Hong Kong star 14-12, 11-8, 6-11, 11-5, 11-6.
Xinhua
(China Daily 05/25/2007 page22)
