Liu Guoliang and the Chinese Men's Team Xu Xin, Zhang Jike and Ma Long in the Rio 2016 Olympic Team event.

Liu Guoliang will step down after four years as head coach of China's table tennis team as part of a management restructuring, Xinhua reported.

Liu, who won the singles and doubles gold medals at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, is taking a job as vice chairman of the China Table Tennis Association, Xinhua said yesterday, citing the association. He was appointed to coach the national men's team at the age of 27 in 2003 and handed over to Qin Zhijian in April.

China dominates the sport, winning 28 out of 32 gold medals awarded since table tennis became an Olympics sport in 1988.

Xinhua said the restructuring was to improve training and efficiency in preparation for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The men's and women's national teams would be managed separately in future, it said.

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