BEIJING, (Reuters) – China’s domination at the world table tennis championships was detrimental to the development of the sport and it must do more to help rivals become more competitive, the country’s deputy sports minister said. Table tennis has long been one of China’s favourite sports and its players won 18 of the 20 medals, including a sweep of all five titles, in Japan over the last week.
“From the point of view of the Chinese association, the coaches and the players, it is a great achievement,” Cai Zhenhua told the Oriental Sports Daily.
“But personally I am anxious that it is dangerous for the development of this sport worldwide.
“The truth is we have failed again. Chinese players grabbing all titles in whatever tournament they participate in is definitely detrimental.”
After winning all four golds at last year’s Beijing Olympics, China’s domination of table tennis was reinforced in Yokohama where the five finals were all-Chinese affairs.