Wed, May 20, 2009 page19

• Athletes, officials mixed on effect of China dominance

  • AFP
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  Another tournament, another world crown for China.

  Having won every title going at the world table tennis championships earlier this month, China — as widely predicted — wrapped up the Sudirman Cup world team badminton championships on Sunday in equally emphatic fashion.

  That came after Chinese athletes pocketed 51 gold medals at last year’s Olympics to finish top of the medals table for the first time.

  Outside China, players, coaches and fans agree that as the Asian country grows richer it is likely to increasingly dominate sports such as badminton and table tennis.

  But what they cannot agree on is whether this is good for the sports themselves, while even Chinese are beginning to wonder if, in some disciplines at least, they have become just too good.

  “It’s dangerous,” Cai Zhenhua, the country’s most senior table tennis official, said after seeing China secure yet another clean sweep at the world table tennis championships, in Yokohama, Japan, this month. “If one association keeps winning everything, it’s good for that association but it’s not good for the sport.”

  FEAR OF DOMINATION

  Even before China saw off South Korea 3-0 to win badminton’s biennial Sudirman Cup there was disquiet about their supreme domination in that sport as well.

  “I don’t think anybody thinks that domination’s a good thing,” Tom Bacher, president of Badminton Europe said. “I believe it would be beneficial for the sport for there to be a better spread.”

  Raphael Sachetat, chief editor of the Badzine.info Web site, said he feared badminton would lose popularity if China continued to dominate — and ultimately that could lead to the sport being thrown out of the Olympics.

  However, Sachetat conceded that China’s success could only improve levels of play throughout the sport as other nations work harder to catch up.

  Maijol Mahap, Malaysia’s badminton team manager, said on Saturday after seeing his side taken apart by China that he feared the game would become “boring” if the Chinese kept on winning.

  
  

  SECRET SHARERS

  China has countered similar comments in the past by saying that it is prepared to send its coaches abroad to pass on the secrets of its success, but Mahap said he had seen little evidence of its expertise being shared.

  But not everyone agrees China’s domination is negative.

  Several players at the Sudirman Cup from lower-ranked nations said the Chinese players could not be blamed for raising the bar and that it was up to the rest to try to catch up.

  “We are really in awe of the Chinese players’ ability, so it is not a negative thing, it’s up to us to train harder and to learn from them,” said Scotland’s Gordon Thomson, 23, a singles player.

  One glimmer of hope for the chasing nations was offered by table tennis official Cai Zhenhua, who said success carries with it responsibility.

  “It’s our duty to offer the secret of our success to the world,” he said.
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