BEIJING, March 27 - Twice Olympic champion Tian Liang, banished from the national team for the last two years, has retired despite China missing out on gold in his event at the world championships, local media reported on Tuesday.

The 27-year-old "diving prince", who won two Olympic golds, three world titles and 15 World Cups in his career, was exiled in 2004 for "taking part in too many commercial activities".


Olympic diving champion Tian Liang [file photo: Xinhua]Tian's provincial Shaanxi sports bureau chief confirmed he had retired to state Xinhua news agency.

"Tian's retirement is a matter for Shaanxi provincial team alone," national team manager Zhou Jihong told sina.com.

Titan Sports paper quoted the Shaanxi sports chief Li Minghua as saying: "The issue is over... It is in the interests of the nation."

Tian, a Chongqing native, will still act as vice director of Shaanxi's Swimming Administrative Center and go to Tsinghua University to complete his masters degree, according to Xinhua news agency.

Tian, born on August 27, 1979, was the 10 m platform champion in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Four years later at the Athens games, he won the bronze medal in the 10 m platform event and a gold medal in the synchronized platform event.

Upon returning from the Athens Games, Tian was reportedly set to participate in a series of corporate promotions and public activities, which caused the China's national diving team to fire him after repeated warnings.

China won nine of 10 gold medals in the diving pool at the world championships in Melbourne with the exception of the men's 10 metres platform, Tian's specialist event.

Guo Jingjing, who won two golds this week, was once linked romantically with Tian and the pair were known as "Liang Jingjing" -- "bright and brilliant" -- after both won gold in Athens Games.

Guo was also criticised for her "commercial activities" but returned to the team few months later after making an apology and is a favourite for gold at the Beijing Olympics next August