Olympic Ping Pong rumour: a misunderstanding

A report that the game of Ping Pong could be eliminated from the Olympic's official events list has sparked wide discussion in China and around the world. According to the reports, the original comment emanated from Mr. Wu Jingguo, a member of the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee. In a telephone interview with CCTV, representatives from the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee say media misunderstood Mr. Wu Jingguo's comments.

Mr. Chang, liaison office of Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee, said,"Reports in the media that ping pong might be dropped as an official Olympic event is a misunderstanding. Mr. Wu Jingguo did not say that any events might be eliminated, he merely said that the IOC is discussing a possible change to the current 26 sporting events."

According to the IOC's Programme Commission, 7 sports including baseball, softball, karate, skidding, rock climbing, squash, surfing and martial arts may become Olympic games in 2020. There have been recent rumours that one of the four games, Ping-pong, badminton, taekwondo, and modern pentathlon, could be dropped from the current list. But the IOC has made no official comments on this. The final decision will be reached early next year.