Sports boss hits at world champ over affairs of the heart

China sports governing body's deputy chief, Cai Zhenhua, made a rare and public criticism of popular men's world and Olympic table tennis champion Ma Lin in response to the recent exposure of his marriage and then divorce from entertainment star Zhang Ningyi.

"Ma did not deal with the problem very well. He said he did not know marriage registration with the government means officially getting married. It's unwise to make such an answer," Cai, deputy director of the State General Administration of Sport, told the Guangzhou Daily at the ongoing women's World Cup in Guangzhou. "He could have settled the problem better."

Traditionally in China, families see a wedding party as the "official" way to get married.