Chinese players on revenge mission
CHINA-BORN Chai Po-wa, who has performed with distinction for Hong Kong since the mid-1980s, is embroiled in a controversy surrounding former mainland players representing other countries on the eve of the world table tennis championships.
Chai, the world number three, has been warned that home-based Chinese players are seeking revenge for defeats by former countrywomen.
Although Chai does not have a good record against Olympic champion Deng Yaping and world number two Qiao Hong, the Chinese camp are piqued at the very prospect of Hong Kong upstaging them.
The discord over expatriate Chinese has been simmering since 1987 world champion He Zhili won the Asian Games singles title last year in her new guise of Chire Koyama.
The 30-year-old, axed from the Chinese team after refusing to throw a match against a compatriot, beat both Qiao and Deng on her way to lifting the Asian Games gold for her adopted Japan, a triumph which triggered scathing attacks on her by the Chinese media.
Koyama is one of three overseas Chinese in the world's top 10, the others being Chai and 1988 Olympic champion Chen Jing, now representing Taiwan. The trio are regarded as the biggest threats to world number one Deng and Qiao for the singles crown.
The talented Koyama, branded a traitor by sections of the media after her Asian Games success, is not eligible to play in the team competition for Japan but her participation in the individual event from May 9 has steeled the home-based Chinese girls.
'The major threats to us will come from former Chinese nationals living in and playing for other countries,' said Deng. 'If I meet them again I will get real tough.' Head coach of the Chinese women's team, Zhang Xielin, is warning his players not to focus too much on their opponents' ethnicity.
'My players often hold a grudge while confronting Chinese playing abroad,' he said. 'They may think, why do Chinese fight Chinese? Any mental distraction on court is fatal. My advice is take them as born foreigners and play your game the usual way.' Chai and 1991 singles bronze medallist Chan Tan-lui are seeking to improve on their fourth-place finish in the team competition at the 1993 world championships in Gothenburg.
With the strong North Korean women's team missing in Tianjin and South Korea's fortunes on the decline since the retirement of reigning world champion Hyun Jung-hwa, Hong Kong have a great opportunity to get among the medals.
If they top group B, which includes England who they beat in the final of the Commonwealth Championships last week, South Korea, Germany, Taiwan, Hungary, United States and Lithunia, they are likely to avoid holders China until the final. Hong Kong play their first team matches on Tuesday.
After their successful two-week campaign at the Commonwealth Championships tiredness could be a big enemy for Chai and Chan, who are also seeking to repeat their bronze medal doubles performance of two years ago.
But the women are confident of making their mark.
Hong Kong lifted all three women's titles (singles, doubles and team) in Singapore but coach Chang Sau-ying said she would be happy as long as they can come home with a medal or two.
'The competition at the World Championships is of a much higher level and our best chance of a medal would be in the team event,' said Chang.
