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Ningbo, China, June 23, 2005 - The “War between China and USA” on the night of June 26 will be the match attracting the most attention when the 2005 World Grand Prix begins in Beilun of Ningbo from June 24-26 in which China are joined by USA, Holland and Thailand.

On Sunday, one side of the net will be the USA team coached by for Chinese national player Lang Ping, the famous “Iron Hammer”, while on the other side is China headed by Chen Zhonghe, the famous coach who has won two world titles. Without question, the game will arouse unlimited imagination and the result will be full of suspense.

“I will remain calm and take it easy when Lang Ping comes to Ningbo,” Zhonghe said. “But I will beat the USA team without mercy. There is no ambiguity that it is my responsibility to win all games no matter who the opponent is.

“Of course, we are good friends off the court, communicating on a lot of topics, but we are opponents when we are on the court, working for our respective teams. I think that is also the way how Lang Ping thinks. She is eager to beat me, isn’t she? Friends are friends, but games are games.”

Ping has reportedly said she was quite unwilling to fight against the Chinese women’s national team, but as the head coach of the USA side, the professional ethics propel her to win the game.

Both teams will feature many new faces. Ping took charge of the USA team as head coach in February this year and immediately introduced seven young players while Zhonghe has had the problem of introducing four veterans and two young players.

With China ranked number one in the world and USA, three, a fantastic match is guaranteed.

All four teams will play each other during the opening round, which starts on Friday.

Story courtesy of Wen Hui Daily