(Sports Focus) Table tennis chief slams "doped rubbers" accusations

International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) President Thomas Weikert Thursday refuted fellow German Timo Boll's accusations that most of players are "doping" their rubbers in competitions.

"The ITTF has comprehensive racket testing procedures in place to ensure that everyone is on a level playing field," Weikert told Xinhua by phone.

"Timo is allowed to have an opinion on this issue, but I am confident that our testing procedures are doing the job to prevent boosting."

Boll told German media early this month that players are using illegal methods to improve their game.

"About 80 percent of the international players are playing with rackets which do not conform to the rules of the ITTF," he said to German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine.

"The rubbers are treated with chemicals to increase the catapult effect when hitting. This applies not only for the Chinese players, but for Europeans and other Asians too."

"In order to prove this, the rubber has to be removed from the racket and sent to the lab. That's what I am encouraging since long ago. But the ITTF considers this unreasonable. "

The multi-time European champion accused Chinese of gaining "an advantage by using illegal rubbers".

The ITTF president didn't agree.

"Since many years, the Chinese players are the best in the world, due to the very professional structure, their very hard work under the eyes of many very well educated coaches and the search for new talents who could be successful in table tennis," said Weikert.

"To make a long story short: because of that, they are 'Simply the Best'... Like Tina Turner says in her famous song."

The ITTF rules mandate the covering material on rackets should be used as it has been authorized by the ITTF - "without any physical, chemical or other treatment, changing or modifying playing properties, friction, outlook, color, structure, surface, etc." Endi