England’s Darius Knight hopeful of getting Olympic chance – Table Tennis News
English table tennis player Darius Knight is determined that a good show at the 2012 London Olympics will help to overcome the funding problems of the sport in the country.
The table tennis authorities in the United Kingdom (UK) have cut-down the funds for the sport to half.
The decision was made as none of the English players managed to make a place in the Olympics 2004 and 2008 after the qualifying rounds. The decision was made in 2009 by the UK sports board.
This time the best English table tennis players have the chance to showcase their best performance in the mega event of the sport. The players will have the chance to compete in the Olympics as it is going to be staged at their home soil.
There will be a total of six players, three in each Men's and Women's team contesting in the Olympics. The chances for the players have increased to contest in the Olympics as the British Olympic Association has granted approval to utilise the host nation
direct qualification for the Olympics.
Knight is one of the several players in the UK who are hoping to make a place on the team, competing in the Olympics. Most of the players are annoyed due to the cut down in the funding for the national team.
The Chinese have an unlimited budget for the team and the coaches can even manage to play on the moon with that huge budget. The best teams of the table tennis circuit are China, Korea, Japan and Germany. They spend endless finance on the players to develop
the game.
Knight said, "I don't need a million pounds to win a medal. I've had a decent amount of money spent on me but, at the end of the day, I think you don't get everything put in your hand.”
In England the sport only gets £300,000 annually, which covers to pay the coaches and the staff. With such a limited budget the sport cannot be developed to the level where it should be by now as table tennis had its’ origin from England.
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