Chinese Head Coach Confident of Uber Cup Title, Eyes on Thomas Cup

Home>>Sports

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, January 22, 2002

Chinese Head Coach Confident of Uber Cup Title, Eyes on Thomas Cup

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

Chinese women's badminton team won't have much trouble in retaining their Uber Cup crown while it would be hard for the Chinese male players to win Thomas Cup, Chinese national team head coach Li Yongbo said Tuesday in Beijing.

Starting from March, Chinese players will test their capabilities at such international competitions as the All England Open, Japan Open and Korea Open.

Their performance will play a key role in the selection for the final line-up for the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup tournaments set for Guangzhou, south China this May.

"Nobody will take Chinese team lightly in the run for the Thomas Cup title. After all, we were runner-up in last Thomas Cup,not to say we shall play at home, which favors us," Li said.

"Although there are challenges for China to take, we are by no means not determined to try our best in the Thomas Cup," Li said. "There's nothing impossible in sports," he added.

The Chinese head coach admitted that the women team's preparations would be affected after Olympic champion Gong Zhichao retired but he was still confident of successfully defending the title.

"Her retirement will affect the team in a short term," Li said."But the up-and-coming players like Zhou Mi and Gong Ruina are fully capable of fulfilling the task," he added.

Questions?Comments? Click here

Guangzhou to Host Thomas and Uber Badminton Cup Finals