"Some countries not allowed to play in England."

The ITTF Executive Committee has learned that some of their member countries are absent from the 44th World Table Tennis Championships in Manchester, England because of non-issuance of entry visas to the United Kingdom. This occurrence is viewed by the ITTF Executive Committee with grave concern. Further, the ITTF Executive Committee would like to reconfirm that one of the conditions for awarding rights to host the World Table Tennis Championships is the guarantee by host associations to ensure free access and/or participation of ITTF member associations to the host cities, playing and BGM venues.

For the future, therefore, the ITTF will demand cast-iron assurances from prospective candidates for the hostig of World Title events. It is the ITTF's ultimate objective that our sport will transcend all political, racial, socio-economic and other cultural prejudices.

PRESS CLIPPINGS:

By Sportswriter Cao Jianjie

MANCHESTER England, (April 22) XINHUA - Ding Song, the best defensive

table tennis player in the world, got his wish as he was drawn into the

same quarter with Belarus' Vladimir Samsonov, who has beaten the Chinese

twice and made a discount on his reputation as "European-killer".

The 25-year-old Chinese, who has amused and bemused his rivals with the

unique chop-and-attack play, will take on Samsonov in the semi-finals if

they both make that far.

Samsonov, currently world No. 4 who outlived a marathon five-set match

against Ding in the World Cup last October, beat the Chinese again in the

Qatar Open in Feburary, the last major event before this world

championships.

"I don't care how far I will go in individual events and I just want to

take a revenge on Samsonov," said world No. 7 Ding, who has led the

Chinese men's team to the last eight.

"I haven't lost to any Europeans other than Samsonov in recent years,"

he said. "I'm ready for stronger challenges here because they have been

studying my style since 1995.

"But I have bad news for them: I am no longer the one in the Tianjin

championships, I am much better than that."

China's world No. 1 Kong Linghui, the reigning world men's singles

champion and the 1995 World Cup winner, will find himself in an unusual

role of underdog despite his top seeding in the singles event.

History and poor form will combine to stop Kong from defending the

singles championship.

The men's singles game has been so closely contested that no one has

succeeded in defending his title since Chinese Jiang Jialiang won the

championship in 1985 and 1987.

Sweden's Jan-Ove Waldner lifted the singles title in 1989 and conceded

it to teammate Joergen Persson in 1991. Frenchman Jean-Philippe Gatien

took the 1993 event and fell under a giant-killing spree by Kong in the

1995 Worlds.

"It is much more difficult to win back-to-back in the men's singles

event since so many good players are out there," said Chinese head coach

Cai Zhenhua.

The 21-year-old Kong, a player willing to rally until his opponent

makes errors or leaves an opening, faces a herculean job to defend the

singles title after a lackluster year dotted with defeats to South Koreans

and Europeans.

Kong has been struggling to find former self since a form reversal

caused a defeat to South Korean Kim Taek Soo in the Atlanta Olympic Games

last summer.

The Chinese continued his showing in the World Cup last September,

finishing third in the group after losses to Sweden's Jan-Ove Waldner and

Brazilian Koyama Yugo.

Kong then twice lost his team match to the 98th-ranked South Korean Ou

Sang Eun in the Asian championships last December and Qatar Open in

February.

Chinese Olympic champion Liu Guoliang is bundled with South Korean Kim

Taek Soo in the same quarter. Kim has beaten the Chinese fast-attacker

twice after the Atlanta Olympic Games.

Second seed and world No. 2 Waldner will very likely vie for a

quarter-final berth against Chinese Xiong Ke, who has edged out the Swede

in the World Pro-Tour Finals in December last year.

In the women's event, Deng Yaping was drawn in the same quarter with

Japanese Koyama Chire and Singapore's Jing Jun Hong, who have both beaten

the world No. 1 player.

Chen Jing of Chinese Taipei, who finished second in the 1993 world

championships and the Olympic Games last summer, is seeded second in the

tournament. Enditem

28/04/97 14:11 GMT

Copyright 1997

MANCHESTER England, (April 28) XINHUA - Defending champion China on

Monday blanked European champion Germany 3-0 to join the Democratic

People's Republic of Korea in the women's team final at the World Table

Tennis Championships.

World No. 4 Yang Ying put China 1-0 up as she beat European top player

Nicole Struce 22-20, 21-16 with ferocious forehand smashes.

Olympic and world champion Deng Yaping, holding world No. 1 ranking for

six years, snatched the second game against German defensive player Jie

Schoepp in 21-14, 21-15. Deng played patiently until she got a chance to

make a kill.

World No. 9 Wang Nan, 18, the youngest player on the Chinese team, came

from one set down to defeat European doubles champion Elke Schall 23-25,

21-9, 21-16.

Earlier in the day, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea routed

South Korea in straight games to clinch the first final spot. Enditem

28/04/97 14:17 GMT

Copyright 1997

MANCHESTER England, (April 28) XINHUA - Defending champion China and the

Democratic People's Republic of Korea will clash for the Corbillon Cup in

the women's team final of the world table tennis championships on Tuesday.

World No. 1 Deng Yaping, who has swept four Olympic gold medals and 14

world championship titles in her 11-year-long career, led China to a 3-0

victory over European champion Germany.

DPR Korea, which had skipped the previous two championships, downed

South Korea in straight games in the other semi-final.

Yang Ying, ranked fourth in the world, put China 1-0 up as she beat

European top player Nicole Struce 22-20, 21-16 through a variety of serves

and ferocious forehand smashes.

The 24-year-old Deng, holding world No. 1 ranking for six years,

snatched the second game against German defensive player Jie Schoepp in

21-14, 21-15. Deng played patiently until she got a chance to make a

kill.

World No. 9 Wang Nan, 18, the youngest player on the Chinese team, came

from one set down to defeat European doubles champion Elke Schall 23-25,

21-9, 21-16.

DPR Korea whitewashed South Korea as Kim Hyon Hui, Tu Jong Sil and Wi

Bok Sun crushed their more favored rivals.

Kim, quarter-finalist in the Olympic Games last summer, put DPR Korea

ahead with a 14-21, 21-9, 22-20 victory over Ryu Ji Hye and Wi made it 2-0

after routing Kim Moo Kyo 21-19, 21-11 in the second rubber.

Wi Bok Sun sealed the victory for his side with a 21-17, 19-21, 21-18

triumph over South Korean top player Park Hae Jung.

Chinese head coach Lu Yuansheng said his players faced a tough battle

in the final.

"The DPR Korean players have strong mentality and play very aggressive

game," Lu said. "We will face a team who may play above their level."

China has met DPK Korea once in recent years as Wang Nan, Li Ju and

Wang Hui beat a team led by Kim Hyon Hui in four games at the Global Youth

Championships in February. Wang Nan lost a game to Kim.

Deng Yaping has never played against the DPR Korean trio. South Korea

and DPR Korea formed a joint team in the 1991 world championships in

Chiba, Japan, where they edged out China 3-2 in the final. Enditem

28/04/97 14:59 GMT

Copyright 1997

MANCHESTER England, (April 28) XINHUA - Sweden pulled even with defending

champion China at the men's team quarter-finals as Jan-Ove Waldner beat

world singles champion Kong Linghui in the second game at the World Table

Tennis Championships here on Monday.

Waldner, who had won all four encounters with Kong, nipped the world

No. one 21-15, 27-25.

Olympic champion Liu Guoliang put defending champion China 1-0 ahead in

the best-of-five match, beating Peter Karlsson 21-17, 22-20.

World runner-up Sweden, which finished second to Belgium in its group,

lost its seeding and was drawn into the first quarter topped by China.

China and Sweden have met in six world championship finals with each

winning three. Enditem

28/04/97 16:22 GMT

Copyright 1997

MANCHESTER, England (Reuter) - China reached the women's team final for

the 14th consecutive time at the world table tennis championships Monday

following their 3-0 victory over European champions Germany.

The all-conquering Chinese, 10 times champions since 1975, will

dispute the crown with North Korea, who blanked 1995 runners-up South Korea

in a surprisingly low-key encounter.

Flag-waving Chinese fans spurred the title-holders on throughout the

two-hour clash on No.1 court where the previous semifinal between the two

Koreas was played out in comparative calm.

South Korean supporters, so conspicuous during Saturday's

quarter-final against Japan, kept their flags under wraps. "We are all

Koreans and we wanted to show unity," said one of the fans, explaining the

absence of banners.

China were never under serious threat by the Germans, who came away

with the consolation of winning their first team medal since 1939.

World No.4 Yang Ying was a little stretched in her opening game

against European champion Nicole Struse, but her superior hitting power was

a decisive factor as she won 22-20 21-16.

This brought the formidable Deng Yaping, world champion and Olympic

gold medalist, in to action against Germany's China-born Jie Schoepp.

Deng tested Schoepp's elegant sliced defense with heavy top-spin and

although the German player took a 6-2 lead in the first game the

24-year-old world No.1 took 15 of the next 16 points before cruising her

way to a 21-14 21-15 win.

The third match proved to be the most competitive with world No.9 Wang

Nan taken the full distance by Elke Schall, before winning 23-25 21-9

21-16.

North Korea started as slight underdogs against South Korea, but they

have a good championship pedigree having finished runners-up to China in

1979, 1985 and 1993. The North and South formed a united team for the 1991

championships in Chiba, Japan, where they won the title against the

Chinese.

The North-South battle took over two hours, with two of the three

matches going to three games. North Korea struck the vital blow by winning

the opening match where the bustling left-hander Kim Hyon Hui beat South

Korea's leading player Ryu Ji Hyie 14-21 21-9 22-20.

Wi Bok Sun overcame Kim Moo Kyo 21-19 21-11 and Tu Jong Sil sealed

North Korea's victory by edging Park Hae Jung 21-17 19-21 21-18.

In the men's section, Sweden earned a quarter-final place when they

beat England 3-1 and will now face China.

South Korea beat Yugoslavia 3-1 to earn a quarter-final clash against

Japan, Greece defeated Italy 3-1 for a match against Germany and France

blanked the Netherlands 3-0 and will play Belgium.

MANCHESTER England, (April 28) XINHUA - Kong Linghui put China in

suspense as he lost and won in China's 3-1 victory over Sweden in the

men's team quarter-finals at the World Table Tennis Championships here on

Monday.

World top-ranked Kong, who lost the second game to Jan-Ove Waldner

15-21, 25-27, beat Peter Karlsson 21-14, 21-17 in the fourth.

Olympic champion Liu Guoliang won the opening game against Karlsson

21-17, 22-20 and Sweden pulled even as world No. 2 Waldner improved his

record against Kong to 5-0.

Chinese veteran Wang Tao put China 2-1 up as he beat Jorgen Persson in

the third rubber.

The 29-year-old Wang, who snatched a crucial point from Persson in the

last world championship final, nipped his rival 22-20, 21-15.

Trailing 12-13 in the second set, Persson strained his groin muscle in

a forehand attack and had to receive on-court medical treatment.

Sweden, which finished second to Belgium in its group, lost its seeding

and was thus drawn into the first quarter topped by China.

China and Sweden had met in six world championship finals with each

winning three.

Chinese team leader Li Furong owed the victory to strong mentality of

the Chinese trio and a lineup mistake made by Swedish head coach Ulf

Carlsson.

"We are wary of Waldner, not Karlsson or Persson," Li said. "But

Carlsson made a big mistake by putting Waldner in the second and fifth

game. He never considered the Swedes could lose 1-3 before Waldner

returned to save them."

Carlsson begged to disagree, insisting that he made a perfect lineup.

"There was nothing wrong with the lineup, China just played better

today," he said.

"I am satisfied with the performance of my players, but unhappy with

the result," the Swedish coach added.

Waldner said he held no grudge against Carlsson who put him as a No. 2

player in the match.

"I didn't play too well the day before yesterday. If I was the head

coach, I could have made such decision," said Waldner, who lost two team

games in the group matches against Belarus and Belgium.

China will have a tough game as it takes on South Korea on Tuesday,

which entered the semi-finals by outlasting Japan 3-2.

South Korea has beaten China twice, at the Asian championships in

December last year and the Qatar Open in February.

Germany and France will fight for a final berth on Tuesday. Germany

beat Greece 3-1 and France knocked out Belgium 3-2 in the quarter-finals.

In the women's semi-finals on Monday, China downed Germany 3-0 and the

Democratic People's Republic of Korea routed South Korea in straight

games. Enditem 28/04/97 23:31 GMT

Copyright 1997