have shown that they are ready to take her place, both ranking number one and two in world rankings since Deng retired in 1998.While Wang and Li have won the lions share of major singles titles since Deng's retirement, they have also formed a formidible doubles team looking to vie for gold in Sydney.
Backing up Wang and Li are world number four Sun Jin and world number seven Yang Ying who will form China's second women's doubles team in Sydney and who are expecting their toughest competition from South Korean and Chinese Taipei paddlers.
In the men's competition, the Chinese team will be looking to the world's number one ranked player Kong Lianghui and reigning Olympic and World Champion singles titleist Liu Guoliang.
Both are coming off disappointing showings in last month's US Open, where Kong lost to Chiang Peng-lung from Chinese Taipei and Liu lost to Japan's Seiko Iseki, formerly known as Wei Qingguang, a retired Chinese national.
Following unproven doping allegations last year, Liu has struggled through an emotional year and is now sporting a new shaved head look in an effort to regain his former form.
Liu Guozheng was chosen over world ranked number five Ma Lin for the third and final spot on the men's singles team, due to better "patriotic" behavior, Chinese press reports said, and despite being ranked as the world's 10th best player.
China boasts five of the world's top ten men and women players according to the current rankings published by the International Table Tennis Federation.
The Chinese men's team will be rounded up by the doubles team of Wang Liqin and Yan Sen, both up and coming players.
The main competition for the Chinese will come from world number three Vladimir Samsonov, from Belarus, Taipei's Chiang and Croatia's Zoran Primorac, all of whom have beaten and lost to Chinese players.
A formidable Swedish team, led by Jan Ove Waldner and Jorgen Persson will continue to pressure in the doubles, while both are expected to make a push for singles medals.
Since table tennis was introduced into the Olympics in 1988, the Chinese team has dominated, especially in the women's events.
Of the world's current top 10 ranked women's players, nine either played for or currently play on the Chinese team, including Chen Jing, currently with Chinese Taipei, Chire Koyama, now playing for Japan and Qianhong Gotsh and Jing Tian-Zorna who play for Germany.
Besides Japan's Seiko Iseki, Chinese men now playing for other countries include Canada's Johnny Huang and Italy's Yang Min. AFP
North Korean teenager stuns China's world no. 2 (2001-05-03)China seeking to maintain table tennis dominance (2000-08-10)2 (11285)
