GUANGZHOU, Feb 22: China’s all-conquering army of stars are determined to blitz the field at the world team table tennis championships as they gear up for the Olympics on home turf.

With six months to go until the Games, China are eyeing the Championships starting here Sunday as the last major warm-up before Beijing where they plan a clean-sweep of the table tennis gold medals.

But Guangzhou is also set to be a battleground for two of China’s top paddlers in the men’s and women’s teams — Wang Liqin and Wang Nan — still desperately seeking Olympics selection.

China is so dominant in the sport that reigning world men’s singles champion and world number three Wang Liqin is in danger of missing out on an Olympics berth.

While team-mates Wang Hao and Ma Lin, as world numbers one and two, respectively, have been guaranteed places, Wang must produce here before battling through a qualifier in Hong Kong next month to secure a coveted third spot.

South Korean Ryu Seung Min snatched the Olympic crown from China, and the world number eight is hoping again to be a thorn in their side in Guangzhou.

China also faces stiff competition from European stars Vladimir Samsonov, a three time European champion from Belarus, and veteran Werner Schlager from Austria, the 2003 title holder at the world individual championships.

Twenty-four countries, each with five team members, are competing in four groups in the week-long men’s and women’s championships here.—AFP