Ping-pong team 'too tired' to compete

Following a no-show by the Chinese men's table tennis team at a recent tournament, the Chinese Table Tennis Association has withdrawn the team from an international event in Australia next week, citing health reasons.

In response to reports that China's men's team would collectively pull out of next week's International Table Tennis Federation Australian Open, the CTTA confirmed the withdrawal on Thursday and attributed the decision to health concerns over the players involved.

"Due to fatigue and injuries after competing in consecutive tournaments, most of the players are not in good form, so we decided to withdraw them from the Australian Open and let them rest," the association said on its website.