Why China’s National Games are tougher than the Olympics for table tennis players and weightlifters

Olympic rules capping player numbers per event to prevent medals domination have left China a victim of its own success at grooming top-class athletes

At the National Games, unfettered by representation rules, the world’s top tennis players and weightlifters test each other to set new standards of excellence

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Chinese medallists (from left) Wang Liqin, Ma Lin and Wang Hao stand at attention for the national anthem during the awards ceremony for men’s singles table tennis, at the Beijing Olympic Games on August 23, 2008. Ma won gold, defeating Wang Hao who took silver, while Wang Liqin took bronze. Photo: AFP

Published: 4:00pm, 26 Sep 2021Updated: 1:22pm, 27 Sep 2021

On August 23, 2008, thousands stood up to sing March of the Volunteers, the country’s national anthem, as three Chinese flags fluttered in the breeze at the Peking University Gymnasium.

As soon as the song ended, they clapped and cheered for Ma Lin, Wang Hao and Wang Liqin, the Chinese athletes who had just won gold, silver and bronze medals at the Beijing Olympics for the men’s singles table tennis. Just like the women’s singles event the day before, China had ruled the medals podium.

But podium domination soon became a thing of the past. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2010 limited each team to two athletes per singles event for the upcoming London Olympics, down from the previous three, after changing qualification rules to involve more countries and widen support for the sport.

China’s team members (from left) Wang Liqin, Wang Hao, coach Liu Guoliang and Ma Lin pose on the podium for the men’s team table tennis final for the Beijing Olympic Games, at the Peking University Gymnasium on August 18, 2008. China defeated Germany 0-3. Photo: AFP

From then on, China has found itself restricted from fielding as many teams for table tennis, a victim of its own success at grooming young players at the sport. But the National Games of the past two weeks – ending tomorrow – offer a platform to pit the world’s top athletes against each other in disciplines that China has traditionally dominated, such as table tennis and weightlifting, unfettered by representation rules.

“When a country dominates a discipline, it could undermine the sport’s development,” said Chung Pak-kwong, a professor of sports, physical education and health at the Hong Kong Baptist University.