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)
Updated: 2005-02-02 14:20
