Maintaining China's table tennis dominance top of large pile on Wang Liqin's plate
Advertisement
Replacing Liu Guoliang as the president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, Wang's leadership begins with the country's status under pressure, after Brazil's Hugo Calderano won the men's singles at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Cup in Macau.
And the 46-year-old faces the task of maintaining China's dominance in a sport where international challengers are gaining ground.
'It is a tremendous responsibility to take over as president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association,' Wang said. 'I feel both excited and anxious.'
A two-time Olympic gold medallist in his own right, Wang's second triumph, at the 2008 Beijing Games, came under the coaching of the man he has replaced. Success at the 2028 Games is also expected.
Hugo Calderano's World Cup triumph in Macau pierced China's dominance of the men's game. Photo: Xinhua
'The immediate task is the World Championships in Doha, and the long-term goal is the Los Angeles Olympics,' he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Standard
5 hours ago
- The Standard
Hong Kong should use National Games to test real-name ticketing
The countdown for the event, hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, kicked off on August 1. (XINHUA)
South China Morning Post
7 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong to invest up to an additional HK$30 million into National Games team
Hong Kong is investing up to HK$30 million (US$3.8 million) more in its National Games team as the city goes all out to optimise every aspect and ensure the smooth running of eight locally hosted events, according to the sports commissioner. Commissioner for Sports George Tsoi Kin-pan said on Saturday that the Hong Kong venues designated for the National Games had completed test runs and were ready, with the countdown to the 15th edition of the Games in November under way. 'Work in the coming three months will focus on optimising every aspect to ensure the events will be held smoothly,' he added, referring to minor issues such as how to ensure athletes had the most convenient access back to locker rooms after finishing their warm-ups. The Games, which run from November 9 to 21, will feature more than 400 events across 34 sports staged in the Greater Bay Area, which comprises Hong Kong, Macau and nine Guangdong province cities. Hong Kong will host eight sports – fencing, men's under-22 basketball, track cycling, golf, men's handball, rugby sevens, triathlon and beach volleyball. Choi also revealed at the forum that the government would allocate HK$20 million to HK$30 million to support athletes' expenses during the Games, such as logistics and accommodation. This is in addition to the HK$15 million already budgeted for their preparation, including training.
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- South China Morning Post
Jockey Club enters long-term Xinjiang partnership in another positive mainland move
The Hong Kong Jockey Club has begun a long-term partnership with the Sports Bureau of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in Urumqi with the goal of modernising the region's equine industry. The partnership was announced on Tuesday, with the aim of leveraging the resources of both the Jockey Club and the Bureau to promote the upgrading of Xinjiang's equine industry. Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges visited the site alongside Executive Director Andrew Harding and members of the Club's expert team, meeting representatives of the government, university, industry and sports organisations. Xinjiang holds the largest horse population in China and is home to one of its most celebrated horse breeds, the Yili horse – a small breed native to Xinjiang. The region has a rich history of horse sports and is implementing strategic objectives set out in the National Equine Industry Development Plan and the Xinjiang Modern Equine Industry Development Plan to aid horse breeding, training, racing and horse culture tourism. The Jockey Club will support Xinjiang in celebrating its horse racing festivals, cultivating equine talent with an international perspective and improving veterinary and horse standards – among other objectives. Engelbrecht-Bresges said that the Jockey Club is committed to national development and will leverage the advantages of the 'one country, two systems' framework – along with the Club's extensive experience and global connections – to help promote China's horse culture internationally. He was also keen to highlight Conghua racecourse in Guangzhou, which will be instrumental in supporting the development of equine industry talent, clinical veterinary care, health standards, racing tourism and other cultural activities in Xinjiang. HK Racing News Get updates direct to your inbox Sign up Best Bets Racing News By registering you agree to our T&Cs & Privacy Policy Error: Please enter a valid email. The email address is already in use. Please login to subscribe. Error, please try again later. THANK YOU You are one the list. Engelbrecht-Bresges added that the Club is confident that Yili horses have the potential to become a global symbol of China's equine culture, while highlighting the Club's commitment to supporting the development of a robust equine industry value chain in Xinjiang and the nation through sports, cultural and tourism initiatives. Conghua opened in August 2018 and has become integral to Hong Kong racing and is currently used as a training centre for a large portion of the racing population. Racing is scheduled to begin at the venue in October 2026 in conjunction with Sha Tin and Happy Valley racecourses. An exhibition meeting at the course was held in March 2019. The Jockey Club began supporting the China Horse Industry Association in developing high-quality domestic horses last year, running 45 Yili horse assessment races held in Xinjiang.
