The Chinese women's volleyball team caused great disappointment - Photo: FIVB
On the evening of August 31st, the Chinese women's volleyball team unexpectedly lost 1-3 to France, who were considered the weaker team, in the round of 16 of the World Championship.
Unlike football, volleyball has a tradition of ranking all participating teams in detail, including those that have been eliminated. Having lost in the round of 16, China is effectively out of the top 8 of the tournament.
The Round of 16 is not yet over, but two teams have already performed better than China. These are Belgium, who lost to Poland 2-3, and Serbia, who lost to the Netherlands by the same scoreline. It is highly likely that China will drop out of the top 10 in the final standings.
That would be China's worst performance in five decades at the World Championships. Specifically, the last time they finished outside the top 10 was in 1974, when they finished 14th.
Since then, China has participated in 12 consecutive World Championships. Their peak was the period from 1982-1986 with two consecutive titles, and in many subsequent tournaments they consistently secured a place in the top 4.
The Chinese women's volleyball team suffered a serious decline in 2010, finishing only 10th. That year's tournament also used a two-stage group stage format, so China wouldn't have been eliminated so early.
In the following tournament in 2014, a lineup of towering superstars like Yuan Xinyue and Zhu Ting emerged, propelling China to the world runner-up position.
In the 2018 tournament, the Chinese women's volleyball team continued their consistent performance and secured third place.
But then, at this year's tournament, two superstars, Yuan Xinyue and Zhu Ting, were both forced to withdraw due to last-minute injuries. As a result, China also collapsed.
China's current star-studded squad is unable to carry the team without Zhu and Yuan - Photo: FIVB
They played poorly right from the group stage, consistently losing one set against opponents far inferior in strength such as Mexico and Colombia. And in the match against France, China suffered a complete defeat, despite being ranked 8 places higher than their opponent in the world rankings (6th compared to 14th).
Numerous fans and media outlets in China have expressed outrage at the decline of Chinese women's volleyball.
An article on Sohu commented: "China missed too many attacking opportunities, made more mistakes, and even had a lower serve percentage than their opponent. This was a match where the home team lost to themselves."
Meanwhile, the Yeeyi newspaper argued that the current generation of Chinese players, after losing Yuan and Zhu, lacks any outstanding talents. JFDaily commented: "This is not just a loss; this is the first time the Chinese women's volleyball team has experienced such a devastating defeat."
Most volleyball fans and the Chinese media acknowledge this as a historic defeat for the Chinese women's volleyball team.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nguoi-ham-mo-trung-quoc-tuc-gian-doi-bong-chuyen-nu-that-bai-nhat-50-nam-2025083120164134.htm
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