Chinese National Games 2017

CNT players are back to their provincial teams in preparation for the 13th National Games of China which will be held from 8/28 to 9/6, 2017, in Tianjin.


In this thread, I will try to summarize the results and records of previous China National Games and update the tournament information and training photos/videos of CNT players if any.

China National Games are usually held every 4 year (1 year after Olympic Games since 1993, the 7th National Games) and thought to be one of the toughest tournaments. In women's singles, only Deng Yaping (1993, 1997) and Zhang Yining (2005, 2009) was able to defend the title once. In men's singles, only Wang Tao (1987, 1997) won the gold medal twice; however, no one was able to defend the title yet. 5 out of 9 Chinese Grand Slam winners have won China National Games: Deng Yaping (1993, 1997), Wang Nan (2001), Zhang Yining (2005, 2009), Li Xiaoxia (2013) and Ma Long (2013).

http://www.ctta.cn/xhgg/ssxg/2017/0630/149587.html
On 6/30, CTTA has announced players and teams who are qualified for the tournament. However, this is not the final list. We expect to see the final list by the end of this month.

The current list includes: 16 teams in men's team event, 16 teams in women's team event, 30 players in men's singles, 30 players in women's singles, 16 pairs in men's doubles, 16 pairs in women's doubles and 16 pairs in mixed doubles.

Notably cross-province pairs are allowed in the doubles for the first time, 5 such pairs in men's doubles including top seed-Ma Long (Beijing)/Xu Xin (Shanghai), 11 pairs in women's doubles including top seed-Ding Ning (Beijing)/Liu Shiwen (Guangdong), and 6 pairs in mixed doubles including top seed-Fan Zhendong (PLA)/Zhu Yuling (Sichuan).

I will update the full list once it is finalized.

Here are the medalists of 12th China National Games, 2013, Liaoning.
Men's Team:
Gold: PLA (Final 3-1)
Silver: Shanghai
Bronze: Beijing

Women's Team:
Gold: Shandong (Final 3-0)
Silver: Shanxi
Bronze: Beijing

Men's Singles:
Gold: Ma Long (Beijing) (Final 4-3)
Silver: Fan Zhendong (PLA)
Bronze: Xu Xin (Shanghai)

Women's Singles:
Gold: Li Xiaoxia (Shandong) (Final 4-3)
Silver: Chen Meng (Shandong)
Bronze: Liu Shiwen (Guangdong)

Men's Doubles:
Gold: Fan Zhendong/Zhou Yu (PLA) (Final 4-0)
Silver: Yin Hang/Li Muqiao (PLA)
Bronze: Hao Shuai/Li Ping (Tianjin)

Women's Doubles:
Gold: Cao Zen/Mu Zi (PLA) (Final 4-1)
Silver: Guo Yue/Li Jiayi (Liaoning)
Bronze: Rao Jingwen/Feng Yalan (Hubei)

Mixed Doubles:
Gold: Ma Long/Ding Ning (Beijing) (Final 4-2)
Silver: Zhang Chao/Liu Shiwen (Guangdong)
Bronze: Zhai Yiming/Chang Chenchen (Liaoning)

http://sports.qq.com/a/20170712/023030.htm
Team Beijing started training from this Monday and Ma Long showed up.

Team Shanghai started training last week and Xu Xin was seen in the gym in Shanghai.

Li Xiaoxia is getting married! Big congrats!
Her fiancé is Zhai Yiming, the former CNT player and the current head coach of Liaoning provincial team. Zhai Yiming is also the bronze medalist of mixed doubles in 2013 National Games listed in post #3.

Li Xiaoxia is qualified for women's singles for the upcoming National Games. She confirmed the withdrawal yesterday because of the busy schedule of wedding planning. The wedding will be held in early September after the National Games, in Zhai Yiming's hometown Shenyang.

http://sports.qq.com/a/20170714/050202.htm

More pictures

Ma Lin went back to Guangdong provincial team to train Liu Shiwen and Lin Gaoyuan. (Not a punishment! That's his job for the National Games.)
.

Team Guangdong (with 805 athletes!) gathered on July 20 and Liu Shiwen gave a speech as athletes' representative. She will play women's singles, women's doubles (with Ding Ning from Team Beijing) and mixed doubles (with Lin Gaoyuan). Guangdong women's team was not qualified for team event.


Let's see if other CNT players will be athletes' representative or even flag-bearer of their provincial teams.

Here are some recent updates.

According to CTTA notice, the list of entries is finalized by July 26 but still not released yet.
http://www.ctta.cn/xhgg/ssxg/2017/0727/151379.html

Some provincial teams are training together: Team Beijing, PLA, Hebei and Heilongjiang together in Beijing, Team Shanghai and Henan together in Shanghai while Team Guangdong and Hong Kong together in Guangzhou.

CNT coaches usually go back to their provincial teams to help the preparation like Ma Lin goes back to Team Guangdong to coach Liu Shiwen and Lin Gaoyuan; Wang Hao goes back to Team PLA. However, Wu Jingping goes to Team Shanghai to help Xu Xin.


PLA lineup posted by Wang Hao on his Sina Weibo.


The head coach of Team Beijing Zhang Lei said to the reporter that Ma Long is not affected by the boycott and will play in the National Games. And Ding Ning will be the flag-bearer of Team Beijing in the opening ceremony, an honor that she deserves.

The tournament will start a month later. The entries list, seeding and main draw are not announced yet.

Provincial teams are serious about the National Games and do their own "closed training". In the picture of Xu Xin training (from Wu Jingping's Weibo), the monitor showed the countdown (32 days left). Team Beijing has specialized supporting teams and Ma Long and Ding Ning even have their own chefs.

TTHopeful said:

Has the singles started yet?

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How difficult is the China National Games? The competition is intense and the schedule is overwhelming. A lot of players played as much as they could in team, signles, doubles and mixed doubles, but no one was able to win 4 medals at one National Games. According to Liu Guoliang, Wang Liqin even got hematuria because of the tight schedule in 2013.

Here are some records:
Wang Tao is the only one to win men's singles gold twice. He has 6 gold medals, the most among all players. BTW, Wang Tao was not a CNT player when he won gold in 1987.
Wang Liqin has 10 medals, the most among all players.
Wang Hao is the only one to win 3 gold medals at one National Games.
Zhang Yining is the only one to win 2 gold medals in two consecutive Natioanl Games.
Only four defending champions/pairs succesfully defended the titles once: Deng Yaping, Zhang Yining, Wang Tao/Liu Guoliang, Qin Zhijian/Yang Ying.
All female Olympic singles champions won gold at National Games the year after they won OG. None male Olympic singles champions won gold or even a medal at National Games the year after they won OG.
No defending champion of men's singles can make to the final.


Here are some stats: (1) the players who won two gold medals or more (12 male and 11 female) (2) men's singles results of the most discussed players. The info of Wang Tao and Kong Linghui in 1993 is limited; both did not make to quarterfinals.

There was no report of ZJK training or rehabilitation in the whole July and no news about how Team Shandong prepares for the National Games.
In July, ZJK attended the shooting of three episodes of The Amazing Race-China version, a quite intense variety show, in China, Singapore and Vietnam respectively. But you cannot judge whether he is fit or not by being able to attend those shows.

drunix80 said:

Any news if ZJK is fit and will compete ??

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