Paris Olympics: Chinese volleyball fans torn as women’s side handed place at Games
- Results elsewhere in the Volleyball Nations League meant China were France-bound even before their second match
Chinese volleyball fans were split over the prospects for their country’s women’s team after they were gifted a place at their 11th straight Olympics.
Results elsewhere in the Volleyball Nations League meant China, who began the week under threat in the race for Paris, were France-bound even before their second match in the league’s Hong Kong leg on Friday.
They had a helping hand from Japan, where other teams’ results in the league’s Fukuoka leg left China, as well as the Japanese, safely qualified.
Some fans lamented the fact that under-fire coach Cai Bin and his team needed a boost from their regional adversaries.
“We’re indeed a second-tier team with Cai at the helm and that’s the truth,” a Weibo user from Liaoning said. “It’s just wild wishes for a medal [in Paris], so it’s fine as long as the girls can show on the court the spirit of the old days.”
“We were the world No 1 when Lang Ping was coaching but we are now only the top team in Asia,” another comment from Sichuan read, referring to Cai’s predecessor, who led her side to 2016 Olympic gold in Rio de Janeiro and the 2015 and 2019 World Cup titles.
Some hardcore supporters remained faithful, pointing out that the women were the nation’s only team to have been world champions in volleyball, basketball or football.
