IN BRIEF (Page 18)

Snooker

Shanghai Masters gets table support

Top world snooker players will again experience the quality Xing Pai snooker tables during the 2007 Shanghai Snooker Masters, August 6 to 12.

The Beijing Xingwei Sports Goods Co Ltd will provide four competition and four training tables for the Shanghai event, which will feature such snooker masters as Stephen Hendry, John Higgins, Ronnie O'Sullian and China's teen sensation Ding Junhui.

The Xing Pai (Star) tables first hit the headling in 2006 when it was used for the BetFred English Premier League snooker competition. It was also the official table for the China Open in Beijing in April won by world champion Graeme Dott of Scotland.

The Shanghai Masters is the first ranking tournament of the World Snooker Association of the 2007-2008 season.

Soccer

Lu booted out of China Olympic team after row

Shandong Luneng striker Lu Zheng has been kicked out of China's Olympic team after almost coming to blows with an assistant coach, local media reported on Monday.

Serbian head coach Ratomir Dujkovic, whose squad are on a tour of Italy, sent Lu back to China on Saturday after a heated clash with assistant Jia Xiuquan.

"Lu Zheng does not belong to our team any longer," Dujkovic told Titan Sports.

"He has been dismissed. It is unacceptable for any player not to respect the coaches. He is still young. Whether he can come back depends on his awareness of his fault."

The Olympic team, in Italy as part of their preparations for the Beijing Games next August, lost 4-0 to Juventus on Sunday following a 3-0 defeat to Inter Milan last week. They play Lecce tomorrow.

Basketball

Dazhi training camp concluded in Beijing

Voit Dazhi Basketball Summer Training Camp, a nation-wide grassroots program, concluded in Beijing on Sunday.

The camp brings to an end the "Dazhi Basketball Challenges" which includes training clinics and hoop-themed activities alongside the competition and was operated at more than 60 middle schools in 10 cities around the country.

A total of 50, coming from the championships team of the cities, participated in the camp in Beijing and received instructions from Wang.

According to the organizers, five "Voit Star Rookies" will have a chance to join in the Michael Jordan Training Camp in the United States in August.

The event is jointly-organized by ChinaHoop and Voit, a leading domestic sports equipments company.

(China Daily 07/24/2007 page18)