Lang Ping, head coach of the Chinese women's national volleyball team, is feeling positive about the Tokyo Olympics despite the difficulties posed by the pandemic.

"Every country is working hard to control the pandemic. If the Tokyo Olympics can happen on schedule, it will mean so much ... I think it's remarkable to make it possible for all athletes and coaches to attend the Olympics under such a fierce situation," said Lang at the post-match press conference after China defeated Japan 3-0 in the Tokyo Olympic women's volleyball test event on Saturday night.

The Tokyo Olympics organizing committee said this week that there was a possibility of the Games happening without spectators. Lang said she totally understood it and was convinced that even without fans, athletes will encourage each other on the field and "give the most exciting competitions on TV for the whole world."

Although multiple Japanese regions are under a state of emergency, Lang said her team was being treated well. "The Japanese side provided excellent arrangements and protection. We feel safe here."

The Japan Volleyball Association (JVA) only invited the Chinese men's and women's national teams to the test event. Matches happened behind closed doors. Referees, working staff and reporters were all wearing masks, observing social distancing and having their temperatures tested.

A not-so-easy victory

China's 3-0 victory over Japan was tougher than it seemed, as Japan remained the leading side in the third set for most of the time. Even after China began to launch counter strike, the score went from 22-22 to 29-29 before Wang Yuanyuan sealed the deal for her team.

Lang believes the fact that her players had been away from formal competitions for too long is the major reason behind the team's struggling performance. Though Chinese players were working hard, "the match was not very smooth."

China won women's volleyball gold medal in the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and claimed the FIVB Women's Volleyball World Cup championship in 2019 with 11 straight wins. As a result, some Japanese media outlets were under the impression that Japan actually had more to learn and gain from Saturday's match against China. 

When asked what China had to gain from the competition, Lang said, "First, it has been over 500 days since our team has gone overseas and we are eager to play with foreign teams. It's great that we were able to see such a brilliant arena and trained in it. Second, we were also learning from Japanese players with their tough defense and fast offense. It's all helpful experience."

China's captain Zhu Ting who attended the post-match press conference said she enjoyed the match as well after missing formal competitions for so long. It should help them find their best form back.