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VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The best American and Canadian table-tennis players squared off here last weekend for a chance to represent their country this summer at the Beijing Olympics.

Only one of the eight American players was of non-Asian descent. All but three were born in China. Six of the eight Canadians also here vying for Olympic berths were either born in China or of Chinese descent.

China's superpower status in table tennis has created a prickly problem for the sport: Nearly all the world's most competitive players are Chinese. And that has made for a lot of mixed feelings.