Hongkong Olympic Boss Timothy Fok Tsun-ting said that badminton player Zhou Mi and table tennis player Zhang Rui were also included in the list submited for special resolution, but were both rejected by the IOC as they did not represent Hong Kong at the Athens Games four years ago. IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies admitted the deciision was "tough" and "disappointing " for those who failed in their bids. ( source: South Morning China Post, April 11,2008 by Peter Simpson and Chan Kin Wa.
so because they represented CHN 4 years ago they aren't allowed to represent HK now? didn't mia audina represent INA in 1 olympics then go on to represent HOL in the subsequent one?
it's more like you needed to stay for a certain period in your host country before you can represent the country. oh well, that will give the younger HK girl a chance to play.
i guess that's fair, though i didn't get the impression that it was the reason their application was rejected from the first post.
A heartbreaker, for sure. But at least Zhou Mi can take comfort in the fact that she was a medallist, 4 years ago. And we get to see Yippie with her "LCW style" of play .......
But I thought SIngapore is sending chinese tabletennis player feng tian something who just became citizen this year. So, I don't think not having stayed in a host country for a minimum period of time is the reason.
Now you can look forward to her playing in SS. This will not be the end of road for ZM if she is a true baddy champ material. Best wishes to her...
Zhou in denial as Beijing dream dies Chan Kin-wa Updated on Apr 12, 2008 Former world number one Zhou Mi believes she can still compete in the Beijing Olympics this summer despite being told by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that she has lost her eligibility fight. "I haven't heard anything about my Olympic eligibility yet," said Zhou, who continued her training as usual yesterday at Ma On Shan Sports Hall. The Hong Kong team are preparing for next week's Asian championships in Johor Bahru, Malaysia - the last tournament on the Olympic qualifying schedule. "I really want to go to Beijing for the Games, but I know it's all up to the authorities to make a decision," she said. "At this time, I would rather focus on my performance on the court and work towards good results during the qualification period this month. "I always want to help Hong Kong achieve good results on the international stage - Olympic Games, World Championships, Asian Championships and many others. They are all my targets." But the cold hard fact is she has no options left in her fight with the Olympic authorities, who have ruled that she's not going to Beijing. On Thursday night, the IOC ruled that no special dispensation will be granted to those Hong Kong athletes who do not possess SAR passports if they want to attend the Games this summer. Only three were given the green light - table tennis players Tie Yana and Lin Ling and swimmer Hannah Wilson, as they had already represented Hong Kong at the Athens Games in 2004. Zhou, who won a bronze for China in Athens, arrived in Hong Kong in January last year under the government's Quality Migrants Admission Scheme, and is required to stay in Hong Kong for seven years before she can obtain the SAR passport. The mainlander, 29, is ranked 10th in the world, two places ahead of Yip Pui-yin, who is also bidding for an Olympic berth. Another shuttler, Wang Chen, fifth in the world, has secured one of the two places for Beijing. Wang, also from the mainland, feels sorry for Zhou. "She has been working hard to achieve that target [taking part in the Beijing Olympics] and I feel sorry for her if she cannot go," she said. Hong Kong coach Chan Chi-choi claimed they were still waiting for details from the world governing body regarding Zhou's eligibility and preferred not to make any comment. But he is also worried about the eligibility of men's doubles player Yohan Wiratama, who will only fulfil the seven-year residency rule by January 2009. The former Indonesian player and his partner, Albertus Nijoto, are ranked 16th in the world.
