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Will Lang Ping coach America to play China?
(CRIENGLISH.com)
Updated: 2005-02-06 14:50
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 Ping Lang Ping
is seen here holding her daughter in this undated file photo.
[newsphoto] |
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."
Lang, who is presently coaching a club team in Italy's professional
volleyball league, told leading web portal Sina.com 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, whose mother, sister, husband and 12-year-old daughter have
living in the States for years.
"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 Atlanta 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.
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