China's gold medal-winning former volleyball star Lang Ping has been invited to coach the US women's national team for the Beijing 2008 Olympics but China's sporting media said the offer would be difficult to accept.

Lang, who is presently coaching a club team in Italy's professional volleyball league, said she is considering the offer by the US Volleyball Association.

"Right now I'm still considering their offer but I will answer them soon," Lang said. "If I don't take the job I have to give them enough time to find someone else."

Lang, 45, has been a fixture with Chinese volleyball since she won a gold medal in the 1984 Olympics. She later coached the Chinese women to a silver medal at the 1996 AtLangta Olympics and a silver at the 1998 World Championships.

She has also coached at New Mexico University in the United States where her daughter was born and lives.

The reaction in the Chinese media to Lang's job offer was swift and strong, with many saying that if she takes the job it would be a direct challenge to China's goal of winning the women's volleyball medal at the Beijing Games.

"As a core player and a spiritual leader of Chinese volleyball, Lang Ping's influence over China and world volleyball far exceeds that of an ordinary player," the China Olympic Xingkong, a website run by the China Olympic Committee, said in an editorial.

"If (Lang) stands with the opponents during women's volleyball matches at the Beijing Olympics, you can rest assured that this will be difficult to accept for the new Chinese players, difficult for coach Chen Zhonghe who was once her assistant and difficult for all Chinese watching on television."

(Agencies)