http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/olympics/2008-01/04/content_6371186.htm

Ping-pong nation
(China Daily/The Olympian)
Updated: 2008-01-04 10:58

China has weathered rule changes, overseas defections of coaches and players, and stepped-up competition from South Korea and Sweden in recent years, yet nothing seems capable of breaking its 50-year grip on table tennis.

However, the sport that served China-US diplomacy in the 1970s and remains a huge source of national pride is now in danger of losing some of its appeal, some fear.

China's biggest threat could come not from opposing players, but from the global audience -- especially if it tires of predictable results, lopsided World Championships and repeat victories from veteran Chinese Olympians.

China has pocketed 16 of the 20 gold medals on offer since table tennis debuted at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, leaving only three for Republic of Korea and one for Sweden.

Since Rong Guotuan claimed the country's maiden world title in 1959, China has cleaned up at the worlds. True to form, it stole all the honors at the year-ending International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Pro Tour Grand Finals and the following "Good Luck" team competition test event in Beijing.

All of which makes for a slightly dull competition come August, critics say.

To enliven the Olympic tournament, the International Olympic Committee revised the format for the Beijing Games, with team events replacing the traditional doubles.

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has done much to promote the sport and make table tennis more visually appealing, with several major reforms having been implemented since Canada's Adham Sharara took over as president in 1999.

Larger balls (40mm instead of 38mm) were introduced to slow play, the scoring system was shrunk from 21 points per game to 11 ppg, and service rules were amended to prevent players from hiding the ball below the table to give themselves an edge.

As the Chinese pioneered the latter tactic, some local coaches have expressed outrage at the IAAF's changes, arguing that their sole aim was to knock the Chinese off their perch.

Which is exactly what happened -- in the beginning.

The Chinese lost some Pro Tour titles and a number of players seemed to have been affected mentally, but they soon adapted and re-established their position at the figurative head of the table.

"Each new regulation puts all of the teams back at square one, but China usually manages to continue its success," said former national head coach Cai Zhenhua. Cai now serves as vice-minister at the State General Administration of Sport, the governing body of China's sports development.

China vs. the world

More than half of the current top 20 world-ranked men's players come from the Chinese mainland, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong and Singapore.

The others form something of an international coalition, led by Germany's Timo Boll, Vladimir Samsonov from Belarus, Oh Seung Min from South Korea, Austria's Werner Schlager, Belgium's Jean-Michel Saive and Kalinikos Kreanga from Greece.

China's women have an even tighter grip on the rankings and medals.

World No 10 Fukuhara Ai of Japan is the highest-ranked non-Chinese these days, yet even she trained in the country for many years and now plies her trade for a local club here.

In Europe, world No 29 Tamara Boros of Croatia tops the table, but she has never medaled at a high-profile international event.

The secret of success

Although table tennis is the world's largest participation sport, with 40 million competitive players and millions more playing recreationally, in China it is more like an epidemic than a pastime.

As a drive along Beijing's streets on warmer days quickly attests, the sport is more entrenched here than anywhere. Housewives and pensioners routinely spend their days swatting balls back and forth on columns of tables at public parks, if not playing chess, practicing ballroom dancing or doing Taiqi exercises outdoors.

In addition to the phenomenal level of grassroots support, innovative play and a deep pool of reserve players are the two factors most-often cited by Chinese coaches when talking about the ingredients of their squad's success.

Accessibility to equipment, a slow-burning history of engaging in competitive team sports and national pride can also be added to the list.

For example, when China first broke into the sport, it signaled the end of 10 years' table tennis dominance by Japan. Since then, many Chinese have reached iconic status at home thanks to table tennis, which has gone from strength to strength in terms of its lucrative potential.

"We have so many professional players that it gives us a fantastic amount of choice when selecting the national team," said men's head coach Liu Guoliang, winner of the World Cup, World Championship and an Olympic title.

Innovation across the nation

Nowadays, young players work diligently to develop a unique style in an attempt to upstage the veterans for a shot at fortune and glory.

"Fierce internal competition forces our players to become more open-minded and innovative, and that's why we keep moving forward," Liu said.

Other countries have studied the Chinese for years to break down their formula for success.

"China is huge, but its people are united," said Lee Chui Seung, coach of the South Korean men's team. "Their team eats together, sleeps together, trains together. We should learn from this."

In contrast, the Japanese think local diet may have a role to play.

"The head coach told us we must eat more Chinese food during our training sessions," Fukuhara told China Daily.

Japanese women paddlers have been told to eat Chinese food at least once a day, especially dumplings and steam buns, in order to better adapt to the local food in Beijing and get closer to Chinese players physically and culturally, according to local media reports.

Legends in their own lifetime

Jan-Ove Waldner: The evergreen tree

The greatest player in the world is not considered to be Chinese but Swedish, with double Olympic medalist Jan-Ove Waldner taking the honor.

He was the sport's first grand slam winner in 1992, a double world champion (1989, 1997) and two-time runner-up (1987, 1991). He also won the World Cup in 1990. His two Olympic successes came in the form of a gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Games, and a silver at Sydney 2000.

Born in Stockholm, the 42-year-old is often referred to as "the evergreen tree" for the longevity of his sporting career. He is known for his creativity and ingenuity at stringing together a variety of playing styles.

As he still plies his trade for a German club while many others have moved into coaching positions, his old rivals are now effectively trying to teach his new opponents how to defeat him.

Waldner even has a Chinese nickname lao wa and a bar named after him at a top Beijing night spot, testament to his unrivaled popularity here. The Swede has built a strong relationship with the country since he first attended a training camp here over 25 years ago.

Although he has retired from the international game, he will attend this year's Beijing Olympics as an official with Sweden's Olympic committee.

Deng Yaping: Ping pong Queen

With four Olympic gold medals and 18 World Championship titles under her belt, no one has come close to matching the feats of China's Deng Yaping.

Dubbed "the smallest giant" for her diminutive stature (149 cm), the greatest women's player of all time is known for her perseverance and aggressive play.

When she was 10 years old, her provincial team turned her down on the basis that she was too short.

"My father asked me whether I was ready to admit defeat. I told him I was not, as I was no worse than any of the other players (on the team)," she recalled.

She dominated the sport at two Olympics, winning all four women's singles and doubles titles at Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996.

She retired in 1997 at the age of 24 but, unlike many of her contemporaries, decided to go back to school instead of venturing overseas to play for other clubs.

The 34-year-old is now studying for her Ph.D in Economics at Cambridge University as well as working for the Beijing Olympics organizing committee.