ITTF orders close-door training for Olympic table tennis pre-tournament practice
30/7/2008 17:29
Olympic pre-tournament training session of table tennis, which has been in
operation since July 22, shut the door to media throughout the duration of
Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing on Aug. 8-24.
"The International Table
Tennis Federation (ITTF), table tennis' world governing body, has asked the
Beijing Olympics organizers to guarantee close-door training in Haidian
Gymnasium," Ye Xingzeng, director to venue media operating team of Beijing
Organizing Committee of the 29th Olympic Games (BOCOG), told Xinhua
today.
Hall One and Hall Two of the Haidian Cluster Gymnasium have been
appointed the training field for teams participating in the Olympic table tennis
competitions slated from Aug. 13 to 23 at the Peking University Gymnasium, no
more than 1,000 meters away from the Haidian compounds and 9 minutes bus drive
from the Olympic Complex.
"In principle, all trainings in Olympic stadiums
should open to media except dedicated request by sports' world ruling bodies,"
he added. "As I've been informed, close-door trainings of table tennis and
gymnastics have been requested during the Beijing Games."
It's not an
exclusive decision made by the BOCOG as the table tennis training hall of the
Athens Olympic Games four years ago had also shut the door to media and other
staff besides team officials and athletes.
To respond to what Ye said,
officials taking in charge of the soccer training service in Haidian Cluster
told media that interviews could be made with a permit after
pre-application.
"If journalists want to view the next day's soccer training,
you should apply in ahead and make your interview with accompanying officials
appointed by the training service team," said Xiang Kun, a volunteer working for
security keep at the gate of the Haidian Cluster.
Only some training sessions
scheduled at the main competitive hall of the Peking University Gymnasium on
Aug. 9-12, which have been marked with "open to media" on the viewing page of
the info2008 system operated by the organizers, will allow journalist and
photographers in.
The Haidian Gymnasium will open for table tennis training
from July 22 to Sept. 16, throughout the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games,
and the underground training hall inside the Peking University Gymnasium, which
will neither open to media, will start operation on Aug. 6 before the main hall
opens for warm-ups starting on Aug. 9.
Xinhua
|
