THE stakes have been raised for Chire Koyama's historic return to China in May after it was alleged that Japan fabricated an injury to their former Chinese international out of fear that she may lose to her mainland rivals.
Koyama, who as He Zhili fled China in the late 80s after she refused to throw a match, was due to play in Hong Kong last year in the women's All Stars event - only weeks after winning the Asian Games gold medal in Hiroshima.
But the Japanese governing body for table tennis withdrew Koyama from the competition because they said she had a knee injury.
However, according to a source from the Japanese Table Tennis Association, Koyama, who was branded a traitor by the Chinese media when she defeated China's world champion Deng Yaping in the Hiroshima final, was never injured.
'She was not injured,' he said. 'She was fit and keen to play in Hong Kong. But the Japanese did not want her to face the Chinese again so soon after the Asian Games.
'They did not want the euphoria of her Asian Games win to suddenly come to a halt in case she lost to one of the Chinese in Hong Kong.' The Chinese have been yearning for the chance to gain revenge against Shanghai-born Koyama and have the chance to do so at the World Championships, from May 1-14, in Tianjin.