Volleyball Nations League: China team a big draw in Hong Kong as they put dismal Olympics behind them
- Mainland Chinese players attracting fervent support in the city and could be the team to beat on the court too in the second qualifying event of three
- Chinese squad are in ‘a transition period’ after their lowly ninth place at the Tokyo Games in 2021, coach Cai Bin says
China may have flopped at the Tokyo Olympics, but they are a popular draw in Hong Kong, where the second leg of the women’s Volleyball Nations League begins on Tuesday.
They start their campaign against Canada on the opening day at the Coliseum in Hung Hom, followed by matches against Bulgaria on Friday, then Poland and defending champions Italy over the weekend.
And the head of the Hong Kong Volleyball Association (HKVA) said the mainlanders were proving especially popular among the eight teams in boosting attendance, with tickets for the weekend snapped up shortly after being put up on sale in April. The highest-priced tickets for Tuesday and Friday, at HK$1,200, were also gone.
“Team China are very popular among the volleyball community here and tickets for matches involving them are always in high demand,” said Wilfred Ng Sau-kei, the HKVA president.
Ng said the tournament – also featuring Turkey, Dominican Republic and the Netherlands – cost over HK$20 million to stage, but the organisers hoped to make a profit thanks to the government pledging maximum support from its events fund to the tune of HK$15 million on a dollar-to-dollar matching basis.
China’s captain Yuan Xinyue, a member of the Olympic gold medal-winning team in Rio in 2016, said the zealous support she experienced in the city at the 2019 Nations League had been evident again since their arrival last week.
“It’s the same as four years ago, and we will give our best on court,” she said. “There have been some changes to the team roster, but our passion and commitment have not changed.”
They are having to rebuild, however, following a disastrous Tokyo Games in 2021, when the three-time Olympic champions failed to reach the knockout stage and finished a dismal ninth.
With top player Zhu Ting missing through injury, Yuan, Gong Xiangyu and Li Yingying form the backbone of the team alongside a bunch of youngsters.
Yuan and Gong played at the Rio and Tokyo Games, while Li joined them in the latter.
“We are undergoing a transition period and will treat every opponent the same by doing our best in each match,” said China head coach Cai Bin, who replaced the legendary Lang Ping after Tokyo.
China remain a powerhouse in the Nations League, which features the world’s best 16 teams.
China women’s volleyball team cause stir after wearing face masks in win
Li was the leading scorer after this preliminary round’s first week – held in Antalya, Turkey and Nagoya, Japan – with her team, Poland and the United States topping the standings with four straight wins. Brasilia hosts the other half of the competition this week, and the eight best after three weeks will reach the knockout stage in Arlington, Texas.
China’s first opponents in Hong Kong are Canada, who had two wins and two loses in week one and anticipated a tough encounter.
“We’ll be focusing on ourselves and hopefully getting better with a few days’ practice here,” captain Alexa Gray said.
Tuesday schedule:
Dominican Republic v Poland 5pm
China v Canada 8.30pm
