Talent surplus

As a world power in sports like table tennis, badminton and diving, China is never short of talent thanks to its rigorous State-funded sports program that drafts players from regional sports schools and provincial training centers across the country.

However, the fierce competition for spots in the national team has forced some quality athletes nearing or exceeding the age of 30 to emigrate, particularly to Europe during the 1990s.

The oldest table tennis player at the Tokyo Games－Ni Xialian, 58, who represents Luxembourg－was among the first generation of elite-level Chinese players who became naturalized citizens of European nations. The Chinese media dubbed them "the foreign legion".

Ni, who ended her fifth Olympic journey on Sunday after losing to South Korea's Shin Yu-bin in the second round, said that the emotional connection she has with her adopted home has driven her to continue competing as she approaches her 60s.

"I can't really stop as they (the Luxembourg table tennis federation) came back again and again asking me to play," said Ni after losing 3-4 to teenager Shin.

"I feel responsible for Luxembourg as a daughter-in-law of this country," added Ni, who married her coach, Tommy Danielsson, after settling down in the European country in 1991.

Following in their footsteps, a younger generation of Chinese talents, such as Liu Jia, have embraced the task of challenging the sporting supremacy of their ancestral home, while enjoying the boon of a prolonged career representing a country with a thin talent pool.

After moving to Austria in 1997, Liu stole the limelight at the 2001 world championships by eliminating China's Yang Ying in the women's singles third round.

Liu, who started playing table tennis in Beijing at 11 years old, was chosen as Austria's flag-bearer for the Rio Olympics opening ceremony. The 39-year-old left-hander is appearing at her sixth straight Olympics in Tokyo since first representing Austria at the 2000 Sydney Games.

In addition to table tennis, Chinese names can also be found on several countries' rosters for Olympic badminton and diving events.

Five of Australia's 472-athlete delegation were born in China before moving Down Under to seek brighter career opportunities.

Among them, the diving combo of Esther Qin and Li Shixin have emerged as serious contenders in their respective events. Qin is going for a medal in the women's 3m springboard, while Li, a former Chinese national team member, is bidding to continue his international success with the Aussies.

Born in Guangdong province, Li, 33, shot to prominence on the international stage after winning the men's 1m springboard at the 2011 world championships representing his country of birth. The tough competition within China's diving "dream team" forced him to retire temporarily in 2014. Yet, he returned to the sport in 2017 and started to compete for Australia in 2019 as a naturalized diver.

"There are some positive and some negative reactions to my decision," Li, an Olympic debutant in Tokyo, wrote on Weibo. "I don't expect everyone to understand me, but every individual has the right to choose the way he or she wants to go. However, many thanks for those who support me, and hopefully those who criticized me will continue to pay attention to the sport."