BEIJING, (Reuters) – China’s domination at the world  table tennis championships was detrimental to the development  of the sport and it must do more to help rivals become more  competitive, the country’s deputy sports minister said. Table tennis has long been one of China’s favourite sports  and its players won 18 of the 20 medals, including a sweep of  all five titles, in Japan over the last week.

“From the point of view of the Chinese association, the  coaches and the players, it is a great achievement,” Cai  Zhenhua told the Oriental Sports Daily.

“But personally I am anxious that it is dangerous for the  development of this sport worldwide.

“The truth is we have failed again. Chinese players  grabbing all titles in whatever tournament they participate in  is definitely detrimental.”
After winning all four golds at last year’s Beijing  Olympics, China’s domination of table tennis was reinforced in  Yokohama where the five finals were all-Chinese affairs.