Feng Tianwei dropped by STTA; Singapore table tennis star vows to fight back

Tianwei finished third in the recently concluded International Table Tennis Federation Women's World Cup.

Feng Tianwei
Feng Tianwei lost to Japan's Ai Fukuhara in the quarter-final of the Rio 2016 Olympics Reuters

Singapore table tennis star Feng Tianwei has been dropped from the national team, a move that surprised the members of the sports fraternity in the country.

The decision to drop the world No 6 was taken by the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA), which announced its decision on 25 October. This has come as a shock to many, especially when the 30-year-old finished third in the International Table Tennis Federation Women's World Cup just two weeks ago.

Tianwei has expressed her disappointment on a social media platform and has admitted that she will not accept STTA's decision of dropping her from the national team. She is adamant in representing her country and suggested that she will find other methods to represent her country.

"I believe most of you have read the report today, I will continue to compete in international competition and represent Singapore using another method. I will share my plan with the media and the public in a few day time. Thank you everyone for your concern, I will not leave the international scene!" Tianwei posted on her official Facebook page.

Tianwei has been plagued with a knee injury and despite her age, many believe she has a lot to offer for the sport. Mark Chay, former Singapore Hockey Federation's chief executive expressed his disbelief in STTA's decision to omit her from the team.

"I was shocked that they would let their best player go. I hope they had a dialogue with Feng before making this decision," Chay told The Straits Times.

"I don't think her age should be that big a concern. Wasn't there a player in her 50s at the Olympics?"

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