'Iron Hammer' touts athletes' education

Beloved Chinese sports icon and current US women's volleyball coach Lang Ping said the key to developing Chinese sports in the future would be athletes' education.

"Education is extremely important for athletes, especially for those who want to become elite stars in the world," Lang told a press conference at the Main Press Center yesterday. "What impressed me most when I took the helm of Team USA is that their athletes are really well-educated, all of them have finished university studies and some of them even have higher degrees.

"There is good communication between me and my players. They always understand what I think and show me they are willing to learn something as long as it's good for them. This is the biggest difference between coaching in the US and in China and I think it's because of players' educational levels."