China volleyball team too erratic to win Olympics, need Zhu Ting, legend Lang Ping fears

They earned a place in Paris during Nations League’s Hong Kong leg, but former coach queries inconsistency and sparing use of star player

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Lang Ping (centre), pictured coaching China at the Olympics in 2021, voiced concerns about the current team’s form and selection. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 8:30am, 17 Jun 2024Updated: 4:56pm, 4 Jul 2024

China volleyball legend Lang Ping has said her country’s women’s team must be realistic about their prospects at the Paris Olympics, suggesting a lack of consistency may cost them in a high-quality tournament.

During the Hong Kong leg of the sport’s Nations League over the past six days, China clinched qualification to both the Olympics and the league’s season finals, with a stunning comeback to beat the then world No 1 side Turkey among the highlights.

Their performances at Hong Kong Coliseum, where they were unbeaten in four matches, were an improvement on a disastrous run in the previous round in Macau. Results had left China at risk of missing out on an Olympic volleyball spot for the first time since their debut at the 1984 Games, while head coach Cai Bin faced calls to step down.

Lang, his predecessor and the first person to win Olympic volleyball gold as both a player and coach, said during the Hong Kong event she was cautious about how the team would fare in France.

Zhu Ting played against Germany in Hong Kong but again missed much of the action. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

“It’s really hard to win a medal,” she said. “Right now, Poland, Turkey, Italy, these three are pretty good. But the USA and Brazil are also pretty consistent.”