China denies Taiwan's Vice Premier at Games
China denies Taiwan's Vice Premier at Games
BEIJING (Agencies): China yesterday quoted the president of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) as saying that it had not invited Taiwan vice premier Hsu Li-teh to attend the Asian Games in Hiroshima next month.
Japan has said it will issue a visa to the vice premier to attend the games, due to start in October, in his capacity as chairman of a committee heading Taiwan's bid to host the 2002 Asian Games and said the visit is unrelated to politics.
The Xinhua newsagency quoted Wei Jizhong, secretary general of China's Olympic Committee, as saying on his return from Kuwait that he had met OCA president Sheikh Fahad Al-ahmad, whom he quoted as saying:
"I cannot understand why the Japanese government allows Hsu Li-teh to attend the Asian Games. I denied to invite Hsu and I think the denial is in accordance with the national interests of China, with the principles of the Olympic movement and it saves the OCA from a dilemma."
China has repeatedly warned Japan that it faces "grave consequences" if it does not withdraw Hsu's visa.
New challenge
In Seoul, South Korea's formidable weightlifters are in peak form but still face being knocked off their perch at the Asian Games by an influx of world-class rivals from the former Soviet Union.
"We expect at least three or four gold medals, but the outcome may fall short of our expectations," said Kim Soo-Hyon of the Korea Weightlifting Federation.
South Korean weightlifters won five of the ten golds for men in the 1990 Asiad in Beijing. That knocked the hosts out of first place in the traditional pecking order. But Chinese women swept all nine gold medals clean in 1990 and remain invincible in Asia.
"Competition seems tougher this year in the men's division because of strong new contenders from Khazakstan and four other former Soviet republics," Kim said.
The five republics are taking part in the Games for the first time with many top-ranked players in weightlifting, boxing and wrestling, which all had been South Korea's traditional medal boxes.
South Korea plans to send 19 weightlifters, including nine women, with its hopes pinned on Chun Byung-Kwan and Ko Kwang-Ku.
Chun, 25, a gold medalist in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, has led the South Korean weightlifting team since placing second in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. He bagged a gold medal in the 1990 Asiad.
Chun performed badly last year while suffering from a string of injuries. He was fourth at the 1993 world championships in Australia. Since then, he has gained weight, forcing him to move from 56 kilograms to 59 kg for the Hiroshima contest from Oct. 2.