China's national women's volleyball team head coach Lang Ping Photo: VCG

The well-known head coach of China's national women's volleyball team, Lang Ping, said in a recent interview that she will not retire from first-team coaching until after the Tokyo Olympic Games, even though they have been postponed. 

"My original plan to retire from first-team coaching after the Tokyo Olympics has not changed," Lang said. 

Lang's contract with the national team was set to expire after the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, but since they were postponed for a year, Lang's contract has also been extended. 

Lang, 59, indicated that currently there are eight younger coaches that are suitable to coach the national team, saying "the sustainable development of the national team does not only relying on players but also the coaches."

Dubbed the "Iron Hammer," the former setter who helped China triumph in the 1984 Olympics became the head coach of the national women's team in 2013. Since then she has help guide the team to win gold at the Olympic Games in 2016 and the World Cup in 2019.

While basketball has already resumed in China and soccer is set to return on July 25, no date has been set for volleyball. As vice president of the Chinese Volleyball Association, Lang said that the domestic volleyball league can be expected to return at a later date in 2020.