IN BRIEF (Page 22)

Soccer

Taxi driver stabs players, one critically wounded

Former national youth team player Cao Chen and Liaoning club reserve team member Wang Lin got involved in a melee with a taxi driver on December 3 and were stabbed by the driver, who has been arrested by the police.

The brawl was caused after one of the two players threw up in the taxi but refused to clean it up. Reports said the players wanted to pay extra cash to the driver but were rejected and attacked.

Cao, called up into the 2003 national youth team and now playing in the nation's second-division club Hohhot, was not seriously injured and has been released from the hospital. But Wang was still in critical condition after suffering stab wounds to his intestines, bile duct and stomach.

Wang, 22, was a member of the first division club Xiamen in 2006, but has been out of competition since he was released from his contract this year.

Table tennis

Beijingers flock to challenge Waldner

Retired star Jan-Ove Waldner sparked a frenzy with an appearance, as some 400 fans rushed to his table tennis show in Beijing on Sunday.

The Swedish world champion participated in the "Challenge Old Wa" ping-pong gala, which was organized by insurance company Skandia-Bsam.

Waldner joined in entertaining competitions with fans and retired Chinese athletes.

Dubbed "Old Wa" in China, Waldner was a household name because of his storied confrontations with Chinese paddlers.

The 43-year-old has played against four generations of Chinese players, from former world champion Jiang Jialiang in the 1980s, when he was known as the "European prodigy", to current world No 1 and 2 Wang Liqin and Ma Lin.

Tennis

Injured Li Na unsure about comeback

China women's tennis No 1 Li Na is still uncertain about her comeback at the China Grand Prix in Guangzhou, an official said yesterday.

The 26-year-old player planned to return to competition at the home tournament that takes place on Thursday after missing half of the 2007 season due to inflammation in her ribs.

"She is still unsure about the tournament," said Gao Shenyang, vice-director of the Tennis Administrative Center, tennis' governing body in China.

"I guaranteed that she has recovered well enough from injury, but to play in competition is a different story."

Li's teammate Zheng Jie, who skipped the second half of the season as well because of a left ankle injury, has confirmed she will play in the tournament.

(China Daily 12/12/2007 page22)