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BEIJING, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- World No. 2 female paddler Liu Shiwen, who was suspended by the Chinese national women's team last Octboer for her improper withdrawal from the World Cup, can return to world arena now, head coach Kong Linghui told Xinhua here on Monday.
"It's been three months since she was suspended by the team. Now we decide to lift the ban," said Kong in a telephone inteview.
Liu, who helped the Chinese team clinch gold medal at the Rio Olympics, gave up the Women's World Cup in Philadelphia last October due to negative attitude. She was suspended by the team from competing in any international competitions. Then she spearheaded the Wuhan Anxin club to claim team title at the Chinese Table Tennis Super League (CTTSL) on the last day of 2016.
According to Kong, Liu suffered fever before the World Cup, but that could not be an excuse for her withdrawal.
Now, Kong has his sight on the team's preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. "Host Japan has many talented young players. We have to be alert about that," he said.
"In 2020, (Olympic champion) Ding Ning will be 30, and Liu will be 29. We cannot guarantee that these two players can join together in Tokyo. But we will try to make their career as long as possible," added Kong.
