Chinese women step up World Championships preparations
05/23/2006
Beijing, China, May 22, 2006: The Chinese women's national team, after almost three months in a closed training camp, is about to start the second phase of preparations for the 2006 FIVB World Championships in Japan by participating in a series of international tournaments starting from May 26 in China.
The Chinese team is scheduled to take part in a four-team international tournament consisting of two legs: the first in the southeastern city of Ningbo from May 26-28 and the second in Beijing from June 1-3.
The four-team tournament has drawn the top three finishers at the 2004 Olympic Games: gold medal winner China, silver medallists Russia and bronze medal winner Cuba. The other team is the Netherlands, a European powerhouse.
The team will then head to Switzerland for the annual Montreux Volley Masters from June 6-11, and is expected go to Russia for the Presidential Cup. In August, China will play World Grand Prix stops in Macao, Hong Kong and Ningbo before the final preparations for the World Championships.
Though the World Championships do not start until October 31, almost five months away, the Chinese media are paying extraordinary attention to the women's team, especially as to the results they may have in the World Championships. They won the world crown in 1982 and 1986, but have not been able to repeat that feat since, and finished a disappointing fourth in 2002.
Chen Zhonghe, the head coach, has noted more than once that China will meet very strong challenges from many teams, for example Brazil, Italy, Cuba, Russia, the United States and others. All the teams are actually on the same level, and any of them may clinch the title. But he is confident to achieve good results and they will try their utmost to win the gold medal, or at least to enter the top three. .
