March 4 - Ai Fukuhara (pictured), Japan's top table tennis who carried the country's flag at the Opening Ceremony in Beijing in 2008, has decided to abandon her studies to focus on preparing for the London 2012 Olympics. 

    
The 21-year-old, the youngest player ever to represent Japan having made her debut at the age of only 11, is struggling to juggle her sports science degree and fitting in her international commitments, including playing in China's Super League.

Fukuhara had enrolled at Waseda University’s sports science department in April 2007, which is famous for its programme of developing some of the country’s top athletes.
   
Fukuhara was a member of the university's table tennis club until the fall of 2008 but suspended her activities last year to concentrate on international competitions.

She was a member of the Japanese team that narrowly missed winning a medal in Beijing when they finished fourth in the team competition.

Fukuhara is currently ranked 21st in the world, a significant drop from her career high of ninth in February 2008.

She is scheduled to compete at the World Team Table Tennis Championships in Moscow on May 23-30 before joining the Guangdong team in China’s Super League in June.