Doo Hoi-kem’s already busy schedule – despite the Covid-19 pandemic – is set to become even more hectic after she was included in the ITTF World Professionals team to compete at next week’s Chinese Super League in Guangzhou. The world number 14 has been involved in every tournament since the world governing body launched the “restart” series in November – Doo’s first outings since the Qatar Open in early March. “This has been an exceptional opportunity for her,” said Chong Kong-wah, the head table tennis coach at the Sports Institute. “While many players are facing difficulties getting sufficient playing time because of the pandemic, she can train and compete with the world’s best players for more than a month. “This will definitely help her get back into top form and improve her skills as she prepares for the Olympic Games in Tokyo next summer.” Doo has already qualified in all three of her events for the Tokyo Games – team, singles and mixed doubles with partner Wong Chun-ting. Table tennis worlds in Busan suspended after hike in South Korean virus cases She left Hong Kong in October and underwent 14 days of quarantine before taking part in the women’s World Cup in Weihai, Shandong province. Doo then appeared in the ITTF Grand Finals in Zhengzhou, Henan province, before moving to Macau for the inaugural WTT Tour. Instead of making the short trip home to Hong Kong, Doo followed the China national team to a training camp in Chengdu before flying to Guangzhou for the Super League. Doo will team up with Taiwan’s Cheng I-ching, Puerto Rico’s Adriana Diaz, American Lily Zhang and South Korea’s Jeon Ji-hee in the international team, with the tournament taking place from December 21-29. Lin Yun-ju, of Taiwan, the world number seven, will be the only men’s player from outside China to join the Super League as he turns out for the Shandong Weiqiao Club. Hong Kong’s women’s table tennis team secure Tokyo 2020 spot The league will be following 2020 Olympic Games rules, with nine men’s and nine women’s teams competing in a two-stage format. The top four teams after playing a single round robin in the first stage qualify for the knockout phase and fight for the title. The Chinese Super League had previously attracted a number of overseas players to represent various clubs, but this is the first time an independent international team are competing. In accordance with Covid-19 prevention measures, the Super League will be played in a bubble environment to ensure the health and safety of all participants.