China’s Ma Long – the world No 1 in table tennis – aims to book a Rio Olympic spot at regional qualifiers in Hong Kong
Mainlander has won almost everything on offer but has yet to capture a Games singles gold medal
Mainlander Ma Long, the hottest player on the international scene, will compete in Hong Kong in April at the Olympic continental qualifiers as he pursues a first-ever Games singles gold medal.
The 27-year-old star, the world’s top player, was unstoppable in 2015 as he swept all the major singles titles including the world championships, World Cup and the World Tour grand finals.
With all these top players coming to Hong Kong, it will be very difficult for the home players
The Olympic singles gold medal is the only major title to evade him. He was not chosen to represent China in singles at the London Olympics four years ago even though he was ranked number one in the world.
In order to qualify for the singles event of the Rio Games, players must first compete in the continental qualifiers.
“China are going to send their strongest squad to Hong Kong in order to book their singles berths first,” said Tony Yue Kwok-leung, the Hong Kong Table Tennis Association chairman and honorary secretary general of the Asian Table Tennis Union.
