The comeback dream of China's star diver Tian Liang dimmed as China's leading
swimming officials said the recent "pardon moves" which happened in tennis and
basketball, will not be seen in diving national team.
Tian, the 2000 and 2004 Olympic champion, was once again denied when
team officials refused to let him return to the national team during a press
conference in Beijing on Tuesday.
"There is no similarity between diving and other sports," said Li Hua,
director of China's Swimming Administrative Centre (SAC). "Every sports team has
its own way to solve problems and you can not mix them up at any time."
A possible project, which is called "pardon project" by local media, has
emerged in China's sports field since 2005.
It is believed to bring back the "trouble making" famous athletes to the
field for a strongest ever line-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Local media reported that the National General Sports Administration is said
to enact such project after its head Liu Peng's visit to Shaanxi Province to
watch Tian's training last December when he said: "No matter who they are, if
athletes can add to the 2008 Olympics, then bygones will be bygones and they
will be welcomed back."
In Feburury, Li Yuanwei, director of the China Basketball Administration
Centre, met China's 2.16 metre forward-centre Wang Zhizhi for his possible
return during the NBA All-star weekend in the US and the Tennis Administrative
Centre recruited maverick player Peng Shuai to the national team last November.
Both athletes refused to play for national teams.
But Li denied the project's existence.
"As far as I know, the so-called "pardon project" is not official," he said.