China's 25-year-old world No1, Wang Hao, has finally been deemed old enough to have a girlfriend by Chinese table tennis officials, according to local media.

The men's singles world champion fell foul of the administration's rules on romantic liaisons five years ago when he started going out with fellow national team player Fan Ying.

In a move that dismayed women's rights activists but was perhaps more about their relative world rankings, Wang was not punished but 17-year-old Fan was dismissed from the national team and sent back to her province.

With a world title and two Olympic silver medals under his belt, however, Wang's new relationship with former national champion Peng Luyang has been given the seal of approval by national team manager Huang Biao.

"We never forbid a player having a girlfriend as long as he meets the age requirement," Huang told Chengdu Business Daily newspaper. "As for the relationships between players, we do not advocate them but we do not oppose them either.

"Wang is 26 and Lu is 23. It is normal to have a love affair at this age," Huang added, using the traditional Chinese method of calculating age that makes children one year old at birth.It is possible that table tennis officials, among the most conservative in China's state sports system, now believe a long-term relationship with Peng will prove a stabilising influence on Wang.

Last October, he was offered counselling after an altercation with a karaoke club security guard.

Domestic media, quoting witnesses, said Wang had shouted: "I am the famous Wang Hao! I am the world champion! Does it matter if I beat you?"

Table tennis officials played down the incident saying there had been no brawling and that the story had been amplified because of Wang's celebrity status in table tennis-mad China.

Wang's former girlfriend Fan, who was reduced to tears by her exile from the national team, has since returned and is currently ranked 19th in the world in women's singles.