Team China

Veteran Wang Liqin dropped out of Asian Games

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-11-07 21:34

GUANGZHOU - Former world No. 1 and three-time world championship men's singles winner Wang Liqin has been dropped out of China's table tennis squad for the upcoming Asian Games in Guangzhou.

The 32-year-old Wang, who has not played an international event since the World vs China Challenge in Beijing last May, was originally called up  for the November 12-27 Asian Games with trinomial task on shoulder, namely the men's team, the men's doubles and the mixed doubles, but was left out at the last moment.

Wang Liqin

Liu Guoliang, head coach of the Chinese men's team, said that the 20-year-old Xu Xin, also a Shanghai native, will replace Wang.

"We made the decision for the better future of China's table tennis," Liu explained to Xinhua via the phone.

"China made a clean sweep of gold medals in table tennis at the Beijing Olympic Games, and to make sure that we can repeat the glory in London 2012, we must give our young players, like Xu Xin, more opportunities to get experienced.

"The Asian Games, not as scary as the Olympic Games to a youngster, provide a similar circumstance but bring less pressure, so it is perfect for a world-stage-newcomer to have a taste of the grand event," Liu added.

Xu will take over all Wang's duties, but, the southpaw pen-hold player's presence makes it more convenient for Chinese coaches to carry out fancy strategy, according to Liu.

"The current world No. 1 Ma Long had been appointed to compete in three events, but we were worried about his foot injury and finally decided to take the men's doubles out of his agenda and to put the more fit and left-handed Xu Xin in," he said.

Liu, however, declined to say that Wang is close to retirement, though the former leader of Chinese table tennis has struggled throughout the domestic Super League season and failed to earn a spot in the Chinese team's roster for last May's team worlds in Moscow.

"We admire his spirit and wish he could hang on as long as he wants," said Liu. "If we win again at the London Games two years later, the success would be partly attributed to Wang no matter he plays or not."

Wang, who won the world championships in 2001, 2005 and 2007 and helped China to claim the Olympic team title two years ago in Beijing, can not be reached for comment at the moment.

Following are the amended squad of the Chinese men's table tennis team for the upcoming Asian Games:

Men's Team: Ma Lin, Wang Hao, Ma Long, Zhang Jike, Xu Xin

Men's Singles: Wang Hao, Ma Long

Men's Doubles: Wang Hao/Zhang Jike, Ma Lin/Xu Xin

Mixed Doubles: Ding Ning/Zhang Jike, Guo Yan/Xu Xin