Four members of China's top ranked tennis table squad have been axed for striking up romances with team-mates, as the country's paddlers begin intensive training for the 2004 Athens Olympics.

"The crucial point is whether being in love and being in excessive heat is influencing training and match results," head coach Cai Zhenhua told the China Sports Daily.

"Presently what we are doing is changing their environment, cooling them down, letting them think a bit..., this is good for each player as well as the management of the entire team."

Ma Lin [Filephoto/Xinhua]

Players punished included Bai Yang, 19, the girlfriend of world number one player Ma Lin and Fan Ying, 17, the girlfriend of world number four player Wang Hao.

Also booted from the squad was Li Nan, 21, world ranked number nine and her boyfriend Hou Yingchao.

The players all represented China at the 2003 World Championships in Paris in May, where Ma and Wang both disappointed in the men's singles after being eliminated in the quarter-finals and the fourth round respectively.

It was unclear exactly how springtime in Paris affected their play, but by October Ma appeared to have recovered his form, winning the World Cup Men's Table Tennis Championships in China, while Wang was eliminated in the quarter-finals.

Cai, however, said Ma and Wang were not booted from the team because they have recently had good results, despite the poor showings in Paris.

"Ma Lin and Wang Hao both must shoulder their Olympic Games tasks, at the same time these two players have looked good in both practice and during matches so neither of them were punished," Cai said.

China's paddlers have long dominated world table tennis, with the national side winning four of five gold medals on offer at last year's world championships.  

Wang Hao [Filephoto/Xinhua]

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