Beijing (AFP) – China has replaced the head coach of its women’s table tennis team at the world championships in Germany following a gambling debt scandal that sparked a social media frenzy back home.
Kong Linghui, nicknamed “ping-pong prince”, has been suspended after accusations he borrowed S$1 million in 2015 from a Singapore luxury hotel and failed to repay the debt in full.
The Marina Bay Sands (MBS) resort is suing Kong to recover the unpaid portion of the loan, part of which was used to “establish him as a premium player” at the hotel’s casino, the South China Morning Post reported on Tuesday.
The 41-year-old has denied taking part in any gambling, but has been sent home from the World Table Tennis Championships in …
Read the full article at: http://www.straitstimes.com/sport/table-tennis-china-replaces-ping-pong-prince-over-mbs-gambling-debt