Chinese table tennis gold medallist sued over Singapore gambling debt
HONG KONG, (Reuters) - Kong Linghui, one of China’s bestknown table tennis players and now head coach of the country’s national women’s team, is facing a HK$2.55 million ($327,000) lawsuit over a gambling debt to a luxury hotel in Singapore, according to a Hong Kong court writ.
Singapore has become a playground for Asia’s rich and famous, luring cashrich Chinese gamblers who increasingly turned their attention to the city-state when a crackdown on corruption by Chinese President Xi Jinping took on high-rollers in the nearby gambling hub of Macau.
The writ submitted to the court by the Marina Bay Sands hotel said Kong signed a credit agreement two years ago to borrow S$1 million from it. The writ said Kong had since repaid S$545,625, but failed to offset the balance in full, leaving S$454,375 unpaid.
Kong could not be reached for comment. The hotel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kong is one of China’s bestknown table tennis players, with two gold Olympic medals under his belt.
He made his name on the world stage between the late 90s and early 2000s when he won a total of three Olympic medals – the two golds and a silver.
Marina Bay Sands is controlled by U.S. billionaire Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands Corp.
($1 = 7.7941 Hong Kong dollars)