Worlds a dress rehearsal for Games

The all-conquering Chinese table tennis team is making a statement in its bid to sweep all the gold medals at the Beijing Olympics by dominating the World Team Championships in Guangzhou.

China, winner of both men's and women's events at the last Worlds in Bremen, Germany, in 2006, has yet to lose this week.

The men's team beat Russia, Belgium, Italy, Croatia and Romania in the group stage as the women's side beat the US, Sweden, Croatia, North Korea and Russia. Wang Nan was the only Chinese player to lose a match.

The country's Olympic roster will be released once the tournament concludes. Officials said it's been a timely rehearsal for the Beijing Games.

"No matter how many world titles we have won, the Olympics is our ultimate goal," Liu Fengyan, director of the Table Tennis Administrative Center, told Sohu.com. "We will make sure the Olympic players we select are the best in the team, we have to make sure they are not only the most skillful but also solid and without any injury.

"So we watch closely how our players perform at the Worlds in Guangzhou. It is a great test for them."

Only three players are allowed on each team at the Olympics. Wang Hao/Ma Lin of the men's team and Guo Yue/Zhang Yining from the women's side, China's two best doubles teams, have confirmed their participation.

The third spots on both sides are the only X-factors.

"It's not an easy job to pick our Olympic players because we have so many World champions on the team," said Liu Fengyan. "People have very high expectations for us, so we have to be as cautious as we can in naming the roster."

Though yet to be announced, state media report the most likely picks are world No 1 Wang Liqin and veteran Wang Nan.

Bouncing back

The 29-year-old Wang Liqin bounced back from a difficult 2007, a year in which he failed to collect a single trophy at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Opens for the first time in his 10-year career.

But the current world No 3 seems to have regained his form, winning the in-team competition at the winter training camp in Beijing.

"I am happy to see him play so hard in the Worlds this time," said head coach Liu Guoliang. "He had his best winter training camp of his career. I have never seen him work his head off like this.

"The thing that delighted me most is that Wang is willing to learn new techniques and tactics even though he's been on top of the Tour for a very long time. As long as he plays with great motivation, he can make a splash at a big event."

The 30-year-old Wang Nan has also made something of a comeback. The former world champion brushed off a slow 2007 to win the World Cup at the end of the year.

"She is in great shape right now," said women's coach Shi Zhihao. "She is very active in Guangzhou. I think she is a hot favorite for the Olympic Games."

China has brought its strongest-ever lineup to the World Team Championships this time. The top four men in the world - Wang Hao, Ma Lin, Wang Liqin, Ma Long as well as No 7 Chen Qi - are all there and the women's side features world top-five players Guo Yue, Zhang Yining, Wang Nan, Guo Yan and Li Xiaoxia.

To better prepare for this final tune-up for Beijing, the men's and women's squads had a 35-day training camp in Xiamen and Zhengding, respectively.

"The runner-up finish is not our goal at the Worlds," said Liu Guoliang. "Everybody is fighting very hard, there is no excuse for us not to defend our title in Guangzhou."

Switching citizenship

But the spirit in Guangzhou is not all positive, as the world table tennis chief pushes a proposal to limit the number of players who can switch their citizenship. It will be voted on today by the ITTF board.

"I don't know exactly how many associations are in favor of the proposal and how many are against. It depends on what each association thinks about it," Adham Sharara, president of the ITTF, said at a press conference.

"If they only think about their own benefits, maybe some of them will vote it down. But if they think what's the best for the sport or for the ITTF, then I believe they will be supportive," he added.

China's table tennis boss, who has long worried about Chinese-born paddlers playing all over the world and representing other countries or regions, has frequently voiced his support for the Swiss association's proposal.

If the proposal passes with a simple majority at the board of directors' meeting, the ITTF will ban players 21 and older from changing allegiances in order to play in the World Cup and World Championships.

According to the proposal, if a player aged 15-17 switches citizenship, he or she must wait three years before representing the adopted countries or regions. The requirement extends to five years for 18-20 years old.

(China Daily 02/29/2008 page23)