With the Athens Olympics just two months away, China.org.cn interviews Liu Fengyan, director of the Table Tennis & Badminton Sports Administration Center of the State Physical Cultural Administration (SPCA). "We need to put aside any thoughts of past glories and start again from scratch," said Liu.

Question by China.org.cn: Do the recent successes in the Thomas and Uber cups mean that China has managed to establish a dominant position in the world of badminton?

Answer by Liu Fengyan: China, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Denmark, Indonesia, and Malaysia all proved their "joint" dominance during the Thomas and Uber cups in 2004. However, the Chinese men's and women's badminton teams' first Thomas and Uber Cup double titles in 14 years showed that once again they were capable of leading the world.

Q: China clinched four of the five gold medals for badminton at the Sidney Games. What might we expect this time around?

A: It's not very promising this time. To be honest, we were lucky in Sydney. That time we were the dark horses in both the men's singles and the mixed doubles.

So far this year, the Chinese mixed doubles pair of Zhang Jun and Gao Lin have only won one of their thirteen matches with the ROK duo of Kim Dong-moon and Ra Kyung-min. And what's more, their competition records show that their scores were usually not even close with Kim and Ra sometimes dominating the matches.

As Zhang and Gao are not really able to outclass Kim and Ra, we can only pray that they might pull off an exceptional performance in Athens. That's our only chance.

China won most of the major men's singles championships last year. However, the wins were not all down to a single player but were shared between a couple of players. So there is no one player who is so outstanding that he can beat all his world-class rivals and the men's singles championships are too close to call.

Q: What are the table tennis teams hoping to achieve in the Athens Games? And how do the various events rank in terms of difficulty?

A: The women's team appears to be in a strong position. They won all the major world-class singles and doubles championship competitions last year. All going well, they'll probably repeat their successes.

It will be rather more difficult for the men who will be facing stiff competition in both the singles and doubles events. In particular they will have to face formidable rivals in the singles. Some 30 of the world's best European and Asian players are now broadly playing on a par with no one able to approach the dominant position once held by Jan Ove Waldner.

Q: How did the rule changes made by the International Table Tennis Federation affect China's dominance of the game in recent years?

A: Theoretically speaking, we cannot say that the amendments to the rules were aimed specifically at China. However they have impacted most heavily on the powerhouses of the game, including of course the Chinese team.

The reforms should help the development of table tennis. China used to sweep almost all the championships in international competitions and this dampened foreign enthusiasm for the sport. The rule changes will help promote the sport in more countries by bringing new interest and opportunities to the game. In the wake of the reforms, we have tried to develop our own strengths and help our players adapt to the new rules. In this way we hope to regain the initiative.

Q: Early this year, four "problem" players were sent back to their provincial teams but it's been reported that they can be let back onto the national team. Could you tell us something about your handling of the case?

A: It's not the first time that "athletes in love" have been sent back to the provinces. Such things also happen in other teams. As everybody knows, we do this to make sure the athletes concentrate on their training and are free from distractions. Such special rules for top level competitors are in the interests of these young athletes.

Anybody who flouts the rules and neglects training requirements, especially on the eve of a big event is bound to face some censure. The punishments are intended to send a clear message not just to the violators but also to their teammates. They must all put a high value on their places in the national team. The athletes who have been sent back should take this as a robust wake-up-call and think carefully about the seriousness of their errors and the harm they have done not only to themselves but also to their country. As long as they realize their mistakes and do well in their provincial teams, the doors of the national team will be open to them again.

Q: Could you say something about your preparations for the Athens Games?

A: Actually our preparations for both the 2004 and the 2008 Olympics are integrated. We had the 2008 games in mind in our recent selection of top athletes, and some fresh blood has been included in the team. Wang Hao would be an example of this. The SPCA requires us to take account of 2008 and to bring forward our young players through opportunities to participate in major events as part of our long-term preparations for the Beijing games.

We have always attached great importance to developing the team as a whole. Good team-building is one of the secrets of the extraordinary successes of the Chinese table tennis and badminton teams. Athletes in one age bracket relate closely to those in other age brackets. Some eighty to ninety percent of the candidates for the 2008 teams have already benefited from experience in our first or second national teams.

In addition, national training sessions are held every year. They last for several months and play an important role in the training and selection of the most outstanding young athletes from the various parts of the country.

(China.org.cn by Zhan Haitao and Chen Chao, June 23, 2003)