BTW, why will/should Momota get points for a regional tournament?! The Africans, Australians arent allowed to participate in this competition weakening the field.
Not only Momota who will get points. Any continental championship like BAC , BEC or any other were upgraded to be a level 4 tournament. Because I think each region has their own continental championship so Africans and Australians should have their Pan Pacific or whatever. But I could be mistaken?
I beg to differ. In the last Olympics, ROG, Lin Dan is old and physically suspect, definitely way off his prime. In the 2005 AE, it's the rare exception, an isolated incident, that's all. Overall, Lin Dan has demonstrated mental toughness time and again without equal for many years, no question about that; nobody even come close, I daresay. In fact, mental strength is one of Lin Dan's defining characteristics born of supreme self-confidence and inner belief, esp after that disastrous, almost career-ending episode at the Athens 2004 Olympics R1 humiliation and shocked defeat. After that he never looked back to earn the epithet, coined by none other than Peter The Great Gade, Super Dan !
According to who? In all genders, there's a spectrum and if we're talking in "male" and "female", it is very broad. There are slender, feminine looking males and there are rather boyish looking women, and that's perfectly allright. The people we're talking about here are professional athletes and I think it is very evident that in all countries from Japan over China to Denmark, the female players are taller and more athletic than the average women of the respective country. China's players have always been significantly taller than the average Chinese woman. However, since the physical challenge presented by Carolina Marin, there is a visible emphasis on promoting certain body types in Chinese female youngsters. For singles the young ones tend to be lanky, slender and wiry, build to outlast their opponents like Chen Yufei, Chen Xiaoxin, Ji Shuting and now Wang Zhiyi or Cai Yanyan. GFJ really is the only exception. For doubles, it is the powerful, athletic types: Huang Dongping, Chen Qingchen, Li Yinhui, Li Wenmei, Liu Xuanxuan. I mean, Li Wenmei, at the tender age of 18, simply is the biggest, most broad shouldered player in WD. Do you expect her to prance around the court in a skirt with pony tail and jewelery? That's not who she is and that's fine.
The exception is that we currently have two relatively short ladies from Japan who have shown us that the ideal physique may not necessarily dominate women's singles. Japan's women doubles are also relatively short.
According to biologists, and that's why we have "Male" and "Female". Physically males and females are different. Oh come on you know that basic stuffs. What males have that the females don't and what females have and the males don't. Don't tell me that that could be changed too. Still it would be unfair if a male turn female were to participate in Women's because physically (biologically born) males are much stronger significantly regardless their slender or small frame. Sigh.. I respect all players and it is up to them to dress or behave however they like and never for once think it changes how I see them as athletes. Never said otherwise. I myself prefer shorts and t-shirts all the time. It is just my personal preferences or would you blast me for being discriminating if I said I found Japanese female players (including the chubby Akane) were more pleasant looking than many others? And for those who think females should show more of their body parts are utterly sexist and rude.
I don't know. You asked me a question and I was only answering your question why females and males were different. Nothing more nothing less.
LD was never in Li Yongbo's "system" -- LD and his generation (Cai Yun, Fu Haifeng, etc) were juniors groomed/selected before Li Yongbo took complete control and drove all anti-Li Yongbo coaches away... But that was around/during the 2008 Bejing Olympics Cycle, when western propagandists were still somewhat right about China -- the government sports authorities were interested in getting more golds/champions than actually popularizing a sport or developing it professionally/commercially... vs say, the next Winter Olympics in CHN, where the government just wants to see more participation (since CHN doesn't have a strong track record in winter sports to begin with) Instead of a competitive market of coaches, you had a lot of "mini-empires/armies" led by one or a few men/women in athletics, volley-ball, table-tennis, badminton, etc. -- which is not bad for professional success/results, but worrisome when it comes to generational change or "passing the baton"
I didn't ask that question. And any biologist (and any person not legally blind) would tell you that there's a great variation in the appearance of both men and women. Would you go to Watanabe, Sukamuljo or Inoue and ask them to look more male? If not, why would you go to the Chinese ladies and tell them to look "less boyish"? They can't change who they are.
Zhang Nan had better luck today -- Yuta Watanabe had a much tougher and longer match than he did in the MDs played earlier today...
Well, you must have misread my comment, I never said anything toward Chinese ladies in general. Honestly at that time I had just finished watching the WD match between CHN and INA in R1 who both pairs looked very strong and powerful (though I admired their energy) when Okuhara showed up after that with her softer and sweet look and it just occurred in my mind, how splendid if every female players could display that kind of sweet gentle composed look or air and still be as strong and stubborn as the others. Without any ill intention whatsoever. Just for my own personal visual pleasure. No, they can't change who they are but they surely can change how they look (for e.g. hairstyle) or what to wear if they wanted to? But as I said before, I have no less respect for any players despite their look or behavior. If those male players whom you think don't look "male" enough started wearing skirts on court, I would definitely say something about it. Just call me old fashioned or outdated or whatever, but I am not going to say anything more about this matter.
