Coaching & Tips - Selecting players for Olympics

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Selecting players for Olympics

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Topic: Selecting players for Olympics

Posted By: dina_arif
Subject: Selecting players for Olympics
Date Posted: 08/17/2019 at 10:31am

One problem with selecting players for Olympics is that the qualification tournaments happen so much earlier like 6 months or more. So if you have 5 or 6 players who are close in level in skill it becomes difficult because you want player(s) who are peaking a week or month before Olympics.

In team sports this happens more. A team plays great all season but sucks in play offs and or another team has finally come together during play offs.

But in cases like USA or Canada , choosing t least one player may be easy.

Kanak Jha or Eugene Wang may be way ahead of the field.

So a combination of trial methods may be suitable ?

Just holding one trial 9 months or so before Olympics may not be a great idea. If I was a dark horse who qualified in a country like USA I would not even bother to practice because it is not like I am going to win even bronze, so I might as well party or try to cash in BEFORE the event LOL

But in country like China it is harder where there may be 1000 Ma Longs available at a given time.

I still remember 3 time World Champion Wang Liqin not being chosen by China for Sydney 2000 Olympics singles. Kong Linghui won anyway (Liu Guoliang taking the bronze & Wang Liqin taking the gold in doubles) but if Waldner had won, the Chinese selectors may have looked stupid.

Also later on Wang Liqin failed to win the gold in 2004 (& 2008 ?)