China table tennis boss to forgo salary, cut coaches' pay if they flop

Chinese table tennis has gone on a war footing for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, vowing to dock coaches' pay and demote them if they fail to keep the country at the top.

China top the men's, women's and team world rankings, while the country has won all 12 gold medals on offer across the last three Olympics.

But open dissent broke out in 2017 when three of China's top-ranked men pulled out of a home tournament in protest at the removal of head coach Liu Guoliang.

The highly respected Liu, 43, has been back in favour since last autumn and this week labelled himself "commander-in-chief" as the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA) laid out in stark terms its determination to clean up once more in Tokyo.

Liu, who has been appointed CTTA chairman, employs a points-based system of rewards and punishments for coaches - "the most stringent in history", declared state news agencyXinhua.

He said that he would forgo his salary for the year if any of the coaches under his watch fall short of the required number of points under the new assessment system.

The coaches will similarly be hit in the pocket and demoted to a lesser post if they fail to reach the benchmark, which will be based on China's performances in international competitions this year. - AFP