In a shocking turn of events, Singapore’s most bemedalled Olympian, Feng Tianwei, was axed from the national table tennis team yesterday. The sudden move — which came just a day after the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) sacked world No. 58 Li Hu, Singapore’s second-highest ranked male player, for insubordination and violation of house rules — has stunned even the local sports fraternity.
The STTA declared in last night’s statement that Feng — who is Singapore’s top female player and is currently ranked world No. 6 — “does not fit into the STTA’s current plans for rejuvenation”, and thanked her for all her achievements and for being “a cornerstone of the national team”.
The China-born 30-year-old has one silver and two bronze medals from three Olympic appearances under her belt, and she led the Singapore team to a win against China in the 2010 World Team Table Tennis Championships. But Feng didn’t do too well at the recent Rio Olympics — she got eliminated in the quarter finals of the singles event, and the women’s team lost at the bronze medal match. Then there’s also her chronic knee injury that’s been bothering her.
But it’s believed that the surprising move was also partly due to Feng’s conflicts with the STTA’s management and her attitude towards coaches.
Feng has stepped out to respond on her official Facebook page, saying that she will still compete in international competitions and represent Singapore in other ways.
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