Kong Linghui suspended as Chinese women's table tennis coach

BEIJING -- Former Olympic champion Kong Linghui has been suspended as head coach of the Chinese women's table tennis team following a lawsuit over a gambling debt filed by a Singaporean hotel, the Chinese Table Tennis Association announced on Tuesday.

Kong was ordered to return home from the World Championships in Dusseldorf, Germany, to aid an investigation into the matter.

A Singaporean hotel where Kong and his family and friends had stayed in 2015 filed a lawsuit against Kong in a Hong Kong court. Media reports said Kong borrowed S$1 million (721,200 US dollars) from the hotel, but failed to pay back the debt in full.

Kong admitted on his Weibo account (China's twitter-like microblogging service) that he had borrowed the money but didn't participate in gambling himself.

The Chinese General Administration of Sport apologized for the "negative influence" caused by the incident and promised an investigation into the matter.

"The General Administration of Sport takes a zero-tolerance attitude towards any behaviors which violate sporting ethics, disciplines or laws," said a spokesperson for the administration.

The spokesperson added that the administration will conduct a further investigation based on an initial probe by the Chinese Table Tennis Association and mete out punishment in accordance with relevant regulations and laws.