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Coach Lang Ping (center, back) and players of Team China celebrate securing a spot at the Tokyo 2020 after their 3-0 victory over Turkey during the FIVB women's volleyball international Olympic qualification tournament in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, August 4, 2019. /VCG Photo
China will give its best at the upcoming FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup and let its young players gain more experience on the global stage, head coach Lang Ping told Xinhua on Friday.
This is the first time that the Volleyball World Cup will not qualify any team for the Olympic Games because of Japanese Olympic host in 2020.
Some of the powerhouses, including Serbia and Brazil, did not send all of their best players to Japan. But as coach Lang put it, China views it as a precious chance for practice ahead of Tokyo 2020 and will try its best.
"The World Cup is one of the three major international tournaments. Although it does not serve as Olympic qualification this year, we still attach great importance to it, because it gathers the world's best teams," Lang said.
"What's more, we are going to play 11 matches in a short period, so this is the best chance for us to prepare for the Tokyo Olympic Games," Lang said. "Although some top teams may not give their all, we will go all out for it. I don't want my players to think this is not about an Olympic slot, we can play casually," she added.
Coach Lang Ping (L) speaks to her player Zhu Ting during the match against Turkey at the FIVB women's volleyball international Olympic qualification tournament in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, August 4, 2019. /VCG Photo
China has brought its best squad with 16 players, spearheaded by Rio 2016 MVP Zhu Ting. Meanwhile, young players including Li Yingying and Wang Yuanyuan were also named on the roster, and Lang hopes they can gain experience at the World Cup.
"One of our targets here is to improve the chemistry of our team, especially between the veterans and the young players," Lang noted. "We hope to give chances to our young players so that they can earn experience on the global stage."
For Lang, this is her seventh World Cup, and she has won the title both as player and coach. Still, the 58-year-old was humble ahead of China's title defense.
"We hope to learn from our opponents and try our best to present the fans with top-level clashes," Lang said in a press conference on Friday.
The 2019 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup will be held from September 14 to 29 in five cities across Japan, as it is the 12th consecutive time since 1977 for the island country to host the every-four-year event.
China, the current champion which has won the title four times, will kick off its World Cup campaign on Saturday against South Korea.