China suspends 4 athletes from Olympic Qualifying

[DerRoteSchlumpf]

What do you think about this measure?

Game's up for table tennis players caught dating
SHANGHAI - China's table tennis association, the custodian of a sport considered a patriotic institution, has removed four national-team players for having romantic affairs.

'This is an Olympic year and we are facing an arduous task,' head coach Cai Zhenhua was quoted by the media as saying at a team meeting on Saturday.

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The removed players 'engaged in romantic affairs, affecting training', he said.

Women's world No 9 Li Nan and team-mates Bai Yang and Fan Ying have been ordered to return home to 'carry out deep reflection'.

Men's player Hou Ying- chao, identified as Li's boyfriend, was also sent home, according to the Xinmin Evening News and other state media.

The association's actions underscore the extreme seriousness of table tennis in China, where the sport is referred to as 'national ball'.

Chinese dominance in international competition has long been a source of patriotic pride, and its leading players are among the country's most recognised sports figures.

Association official Li Yuhuan said the four players had been sent back temporarily to their local teams and could return once they 'deal well with their personal affairs'.

'Dating is not against the law or regulations,' Mr Li told told AP. 'But as professional players, they have only a few years to train and compete. They cannot spend it too much on dating.

'We hope all the young players treasure their time and career.'

Media reports said world No 1 Ma Lin was Bai's boyfriend but avoided punishment because he is expected to be a key player at the Athens Olympics. Ma's doubles partner, Wang Hao, was not punished either, despite being identified as being involved with Fan.

Mr Li acknowledged that higher-ranked players were treated leniently because 'they have the heavier burdens and responsibilities'.

Like most Chinese athletes, table tennis players are selected at early ages for elite state-run sporting schools and train under a regime of extreme team discipline and total control over their private lives. -- AP

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Now, the young player Qiu Yike (who has beaten Timo Boll at the World Championships 2003) was banned from the international scene for 6 months, because he was drunk.

[Nosti49]

Hi All,

the mentality in China is not identical to the mentality in Germany or in other European countries or the states, Canada etc. I think.

In China probably it is so that the players have to follow more strictly to what the trainer requires than "here".

So for the Asian / Chinese mentality I think it is understandable, whereas for me the private relationships between table tennis players (these are not no-name players by the way!) should not result in such a drastic measure.

I would appreciate to hear also opinions from all visitors here (the best is incl. name of your country) in order to see, if there are really mentality differences or not.

Kindly note down your opinion, please



Ciao
Norbert

[Nosti49]

Hi All,

found the below article in the WWW:

QUOTE;
Dismissal of table tennis players stirs up controversy
After four table tennis players were suspended from the Chinese national team, debates keep on, if Chinese athletes can have romance with their teammates or not.


After the suspension of four table tennis players from the Chinese national team, debates keep on, if Chinese athletes can have romance with their teammates or not.

The table tennis players punished are Bai Yang, 19 (reportedly the girlfriend of men's world No. 1 Ma Lin), and the 17-year-old Fan Ying (who went out with newly-crowned ITTF Pro Tour Finals winner Wang Hao). World No. 9 Li Nan, and her boyfriend Hou Yingchao, 21, were both dismissed.

They were sent back to provincial clubs and yet were told that the national team is still open for them if "they can be back on the track and concentrate on training and competition".

But in the eyes of other national team players, the decision was unfair.

"It's not fair for girls like Bai Yang and Fan Ying to sacrifice their own careers for their big name boyfriends," said a player who insisted being anonymous.

"Ma Lin and Wang Hao avoided punishment because their training wasn't affected, and they have to shoulder tasks at the Athens Olympic Games," said men's head coach Liu Guoliang, former Olympic and world champion.

There is an unwritten rule that does not allow players under 20to engage in romance in the national table tennis team. However, Bai will turn 20 late this year and Li and Hou both are above the age limit of the rule.

"This is the rule that we need to comply with. I accept the punishment and have nothing to complain. What I want is that you reporters leave me alone for a while," Bai said after she was sent to home province Hebei.

Li Yongbo, head coach of the Chinese badminton team, was shocked by the news.

"In my team, we do not encourage players to have love affairs but we do not forbid romance or expel players because of this," he said.

Former world badminton champion Sun Jun had been dating Olympic champion Ge Fei for years before the two retired in 2001 and got married in 2002.

Comparing with the "romantic" badminton squad, the table tennis team has long been labeled as "strict" under head coach Cai Zhenhua.

"The dismissal is a special measure at a special moment. We took the action after discussion with all national team coaches. We believe that we are a special group of people. We need special management," Cai said.

"All the players need to concentrate on Olympic preparations right now," Cai said after the men's and women's team went to Xiamen, Fujian province, and Zhengding, Hebei province, separately for the secluded winter training.

In history, former world women's doubles champion Yang Ying was once sent home after she was 90 minutes late for a training session and former world top defensive player Ding Song had been kicked out for smoking.

Source: Xinhua

UNQUOTE:



Discussion are also inside China !
What do you think about it ? - Kindly note down in this thread



Ciao
Norbert

unbelievable

we in europe would be happy, if we had players like them who were be suspended, but they have severals of this high level players

if one does not like they want, the change them without mercy!

[Josip]

Zitat von DerRoteSchlumpf

What do you think about this measure?

Game's up for table tennis players caught dating
SHANGHAI - China's table tennis association, the custodian of a sport considered a patriotic institution, has removed four national-team players for having romantic affairs.

'This is an Olympic year and we are facing an arduous task,' head coach Cai Zhenhua was quoted by the media as saying at a team meeting on Saturday.

Advertisement

The removed players 'engaged in romantic affairs, affecting training', he said.

Women's world No 9 Li Nan and team-mates Bai Yang and Fan Ying have been ordered to return home to 'carry out deep reflection'.

Men's player Hou Ying- chao, identified as Li's boyfriend, was also sent home, according to the Xinmin Evening News and other state media.

The association's actions underscore the extreme seriousness of table tennis in China, where the sport is referred to as 'national ball'.

Chinese dominance in international competition has long been a source of patriotic pride, and its leading players are among the country's most recognised sports figures.

Association official Li Yuhuan said the four players had been sent back temporarily to their local teams and could return once they 'deal well with their personal affairs'.

'Dating is not against the law or regulations,' Mr Li told told AP. 'But as professional players, they have only a few years to train and compete. They cannot spend it too much on dating.

'We hope all the young players treasure their time and career.'

Media reports said world No 1 Ma Lin was Bai's boyfriend but avoided punishment because he is expected to be a key player at the Athens Olympics. Ma's doubles partner, Wang Hao, was not punished either, despite being identified as being involved with Fan.

Mr Li acknowledged that higher-ranked players were treated leniently because 'they have the heavier burdens and responsibilities'.

Like most Chinese athletes, table tennis players are selected at early ages for elite state-run sporting schools and train under a regime of extreme team discipline and total control over their private lives. -- AP

------------------

Now, the young player Qiu Yike (who has beaten Timo Boll at the World Championships 2003) was banned from the international scene for 6 months, because he was drunk.

did anybody of this suspended players returne to the top or was their career over and out?

[Andy>eXP]

I think nobody of them does anymore play a rule. game over