Chinese women's volleyball team on knife edge as 2012 Olympics approaches
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The much-criticized Chinese women's volleyball team is facing a crucial year in 2011 as they will try to book a berth for the 2012 London Olympics with an injury-plagued squad.
China survived two match points to beat South Korea 3-2 in the women's volleyball final at November 27, the last day of the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, crowning their overwhelming Asian Games run with the 199th gold medal.
The defending champions won their seventh title, coming back from two sets down to outlast the long-time rivals in a 115-minute thriller which marked the end of the two-week regional Olympics.
"It was a tough game for us, but we held on to the last moment after lagging behind in the first two sets and trailing 12-14 in the fifth set," commented Yu Juemin, head coach of the Chinese team.
"After all, we are happy to claim the fourth Asiad title in a row, this is also a consolation after a struggling year," added Yu.
The Chinese women's volleyball team, who won the 2004 Olympic title at Athens, began to decline after wrapping up a bronze medal in the 2008 Olympics on home soil. Since a stunning defeat by less fancied Thailand for the first time in the 2009 Asian Championship, they have yet to regain form and confidence.
Former head coach Cai Bin, widely criticized, was dismissed shortly after the championship, while his successor Wang Baoquan also resigned after only six months at the helm due to health problem.
Yu Juemin, who was appointed on September 2 and became the team's third coach in the past 18 months, vowed to regain the glory of the Chinese team.
However, in 2010, China made headlines with an astounding meltdown at the World Championships in Japan. They had experienced ups and downs in the championship, losing to South Korea 3-0 at the worlds for the first time in eight years but rallying to crush Poland in straight sets, keeping their hopes of remaining in the tournament still alive.
But their hope to enter the quarterfinals was harmed after losing to Serbia 3-1. After a 3-0 defeat by Poland in the play-off, China finished the worlds with 10th spot. The last time China were unable to reach the last eight was in 1974, when they placed 14th.
The failure at the worlds sparked a huge wave of criticism amongst fans and media. It is said that the Chinese volleyball authorities paid too much attention on the national squad but overlooked the mass volleyball sports, which led to a situation that there are few youngsters playing volleyball.
"The Chinese volleyball governing body should pay more attention to the volleyball sports in schools and colleges," said FIVB President Wei Jizhong. "Introducing kids to volleyball so that they are accustomed to love the sports from an early age."
With the World Cup in Japan, the year of 2011 offers Yu and his team the chance to redeem themselves but it is obviously a hard mission, especially the participating teams will strive for a ticket for the 2012 London Olympics.
"We will try to clinch a berth for the London Olympics next year," said Yu, who had been the assistant coach of the Chinese team for eight years, "We have to finish top three at the World Cup to qualify for the Olympics, this is not a hard mission for the Chinese team before, but now we have to try our best."
