China looks to secure Paris Olympics berth with return of star player Zhu Ting

China coach Cai Bin and captain Yuan Xinyue

The FIVB Women’s Volleyball Nations League is set to make its return to the city today until June 2 at the Galaxy Arena. Beginning today, the city will host the second week of qualifying matches for the prestigious international tournament.

The Macau leg of the competition will feature some of the world’s top volleyball powerhouses, including China, the Dominican Republic, Italy, the Netherlands, Brazil, Thailand, Japan, and France.

China, the reigning champion, will take on the Netherlands on May 29, Japan on May 31, Thailand on June 1, and Italy on June 2. The overall competition takes place from May 14 to June 23, with a total of 16 teams competing in three weeks of preliminary rounds across seven different locations, before the finals in Bangkok.

The Women’s Volleyball Nations League was last held in Macau in 2019 but was suspended for four years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This year’s venue, the Galaxy Arena, accommodates up to 16,000 people, a significant increase from the 4,000-seat capacity of the Macao Forum used for the previous tournament.

In a press conference, captain Yuan Xinyue and coach Cai Bin of Team China expressed a positive outlook for this leg of the competition to once again qualify for the Paris Volleyball Qualifiers, thanks to the return of Zhu Ting, their star outside hitter, who has been away from the team from the last two years.

Without Zhu Ting, Team China narrowly missed out on securing an Olympic berth during the FIVB Road to Paris Volleyball Qualifiers held in Ningbo last September, finishing third in their pool just below the qualification threshold, the team said.

Currently ranked sixth in the world, China is the highest-ranked Asian team in the women’s FIVB World Rankings, placing them in the best position to clinch the continental ticket to the Paris Olympics.

Representatives from Team Brazil, ranked second in the world and also participating within this leg, welcomed her return, with their Team Captain Gabriela Guimarães stating “We have competed against Zhu before, and we know she is a challenge to face, so we look forward to a very competitive match with Team China.” Howard Tong