Olympic champion Zhang Ning,top badmintion player,has been appointed to coach the chinese women's national team by China General Administration of Sports recently.

Zhang Ning, who joined her teammates to win the fifth consecutive Uber Cup title on May 7 in Japan.

Apart from coaching job, Zhang will continue to do her own training, for she aims to defend her title at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"I am really pleased to be a coach and player of the national team as well,"Zhang said.

"I hopes I can impart some lessons to the youngsers that I learned from Olympic Games," she added.

31-year old Zhang Ning now is the top singles player in the world. She took the women's singles title at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, and helped China to win two consecutive Uber Cups in 2004 and then 2006.