'Re-education' for champ who threw his paddle out of the pram

Olympic table tennis doubles champion, Chen Qi. Picture / Getty Images

BEIJING - Public apologies have become a commonplace for erring sporting figures.

Mike Tyson appeared on US television in 1997 to excuse himself for chewing Evander Holyfield's ear in the ring, claiming he had only done "what many athletes have done".

In 2003 another legendary US sportsman recast himself as a penitent figure in the public eye when basketballer Kobe Bryant, of the Los Angeles Lakers, pleaded his case after allegations of sexual assault.

Both can be grateful they were not Chinese in the wake of yesterday's reports that the Olympic table tennis doubles champion, Chen Qi, has made a televised public apology after losing his rag following a defeat this year and will now spend seven days' hard labour in the fields.

Chen's actions were way down the scale in comparison to the likes of Tyson and Bryant - after losing to compatriot Wang Ha in the Asia Cup final in Japan on March 5, his crime was to fling the ball to the ground and kick a chair in the air.

The gold medallist from Athens has endured a series of punishments for his regrettable misdemeanour including heavy fines, censure from his team-mates, a lengthy ban and, most recently, a week's exile to the countryside for "re-education".

The Beijing Times reported that Chen would spend seven days near Pan Tao, a village in the northern province of Hebei, where his duties would involve "levelling dirt, weeding and plucking cucumbers".

Only then would Chen be allowed to rejoin his colleagues in the Jaingsu team before the domestic league season starts.

That's the way they do things in New China, where table tennis - a sport they have dominated for years - is viewed with the same fervour as rugby in New Zealand and sports stars are expected to meet the highest standards of personal behaviour.

In March, Chen's colleague Qiu Yike was banned for a year from the national team after he returned late from a night of drinking with friends during February's national trials for the world championships.

If the cost of getting it wrong is heavy in China, the benefits of getting it right can be estimable.

When Wang Nan won the women's singles title at the 2000 Olympics she was rewarded by being appointed delegate from Liaoning Province to the Chinese Party Congress.

She also appeared in adverts for sanitary towels.

National team coach Liu Guoliang told the Beijing Times that sending players into "poor regions" was an idea the team had raised before, adding: "If the education proves effective, we'll consider sending the whole team."

- INDEPENDENT