Source: Xinhua

04-28-2009 08:32

YOKOHAMA, Japan, April 27 (Xinhua) -- The world table tennis championships that opens in Yokohama on Tuesday might not see Chinese sweep the board as they had done in the previous two editions. That doesn't mean they are not able to.

China's Zhang Yining trains ahead of the  50th world table tennis championships in  Yokohama, Japan, April 27, 2009. The April  28-May 5 championships at Yokohama Arena will feature men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles and mixed  doubles. (Xinhua/Ren Zhenglai)

China pulled three versatile players off the doubles events, deliberately making the Yokohama championships more open.

Wang Liqin, Ma Lin and Zhang Yining, who have involved in nine doubles victories in the world championships, won't enter the doubles competitions and will concentrate on the singles events instead.

Cai Zhenhua, newly elected Chinese table tennis chief and a deputy sports minister of the country, said China has the responsibility to make table tennis a more popular sport.

"We have reached the top of table tennis in the 2008 Olympic Games, and now we should share the International Table Tennis Federation's responsibility to make the game more popular and spectacular," he said.

Huang Biao, head of the Chinese team, admitted that the absence of three doubles experts will "open a door" for young Chinese players as well as their rivals.