Chinese paddlers will try to underline their ping-pong
domination and gain a psychological edge over their main rivals
ahead of the Beijing Olympics in two year-end tournaments
beginning this weekend in Beijing.
The annual ITTF Pro Tour Finals, which have seen 11 editions
since 1996, will run from December 13-16 at the newly built Olympic
venue, Peking University Gymnasium, the world's first gymnasium
specifically designed for table tennis.
Chinese women's table
tennis players Guo Yan, Wang Nan and Guo Yue (from left to right)
are seen during the draw ceremony of the ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals
yesterday at Peking University Gymnasium in Beijing.
The event features the top 16 singles and top 8 doubles men's
and women's paddlers based on the results of 17 Pro Tour stops
throughout the year.
Tomorrow will see a duel between China's Wang Hao and South
Korea's Rye Seung-min, a rematch of the men's singles finals at the
2004 Athens Games and 2007 World Cup.
Wang, currently the world No 2, lost the Olympic crown to the
South Korean in a five-set thriller in Athens. But in October this
year, the 24-year-old Chinese young gun avenged his Olympic loss by
whitewashing Rye at the Liebherr Men's World Cup in Barcelona,
Spain.
"I am not very surprised with the draw results. We are very
familiar with each other's playing styles, but I have to prepare
for a hard battle tomorrow," said Wang after the draw ceremony
yesterday.
"I really want to claim the championship at the Olympic venue
before the 2008 Games."
Another highlight will be the clash between defending world
champion Wang Liqin and his compatriot Hao Shuai, the world No
10.
Despite taking the world championship title, Wang is troubled by
his disappointing performance at this year's tournaments. He has
not won any of the 17 Pro Tour stops in 2007 and local media have
begun to cast doubts on his chances of representing China in the
2008 Games.
On the women's side, Japanese star player Fukuhara Ai will
square off against world No 1 Guo Yue. Guo has won four Pro Tour
titles this year while the Japanese's best result was runner-up at
the Brazilian Open.
The 2007 International Table Tennis Invitational Tournament will
follow the Finals. It is a team competition organized as a test
event for the Beijing Games.
Next year's Games will be the first time in Olympic history team
table tennis will be played.
The Invitational will boast men's teams from China, Hong Kong,
South Korea and Europe, while the women's side will see teams from
China, Hong Kong, Singapore and some other European countries.
"The two tournaments boast the world's best players and it will
be as competitive as in the World Championships or the Olympics,"
said Yao Zhenxu, vice-president of the Chinese Table Tennis
Association.
"So it's a very good chance for Chinese players to test
themselves and also know better about their main rivals.
"In the team competition, we invite the best Europeans to set up
their men's and women's teams in order to make it more competitive
and interesting."
Men's head coach Liu Guoliang also stressed the importance of
the team competition and said he is determined to win the
first-ever gold medal in Olympic table tennis team.
"Team competition shows the overall power of the sport. It's
very important for us to win the gold in the Beijing Olympics."
Olympic berths
The results of the Finals will immediately impact the first
world rankings of 2008 and the top 20 players will earn direct
berths to the Beijing Olympics, with no more than two players from
the same association, according to the ITTF.
The battle for the rankings points brings added drama to the
Finals, promising some fiercely fought competitions between
associations and teammates alike.
"Though the competition is called a test event for Beijing's
Olympics stadium, the results might determine a player's Olympic
chances, so I am sure everyone will do their best to win," said
Yao.
Peking University Gymnasium, located in northwest Beijing, is
one of 12 new venues built for next year's Olympic Games. It will
be able to seat 8,000 spectators.
There have been some concerns about whether the venue would be
completed in time after a fire threatened construction four month
ago.
It was later found to have had a limited impact on the main
construction of the gym, and no trace of the fire remains
today.
(China Daily December 13, 2007)
