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.

Lang Ping, current US women's volleyball coach, answers a question from the media at a press conference in Beijing, August 5, 2008. [Xinhua]

"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 ,August 6, 2008. "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."

Lang has seen a change in China's sport system since she was an athlete here some 20 years ago. There is now more emphasis on personal growth, but she believes there is still room to improve.

"Chinese athletes are more international and more open right now," she said. "I'm very happy to see them spending more time studying.

"You cannot be an athlete your entire life. Some US volleyball players become doctors or even engineers after retiring, that's a wonderful thing not only for the country's sports regime but also for athletes themselves, so I think the changing system in China is very good for local athletes."

Known as the "Iron Hammer" during her playing days and spending many years coaching abroad, Lang has returned to her hometown for the Beijing Olympics. She hopes to lead her US side into the quarterfinals in the highly competitive volleyball tournament.

Lang coached China to the silver medal at the 1996 Olympics and left the Chinese team in 1998. She then spent six years coaching in Italy before replacing Japan's Toshi Yoshida as the US women's coach in late 2004.

The US women have played several friendly games in China since 2006 with the clashes between the US and China attracting huge public attention. Media and fans dubbed the meetings "Peaceful War", but Lang disapproves of the name.

"I don't like this name," she said. "It's not a war, it is just a competition. The US has a lot of rivals in the world and China is just one of them. I don't think we are enemies or anything."

Lang admitted that defending Olympic champion China will be tough to beat.

"I haven't been with Chinese players for quite a long time, but they are unquestionably the best team in the world," she said. "They look very good and they have a very systematic training schedule so they have time to prepare from detail to detail. They are gold medal candidates."

It might take some time before the US makes a significant splash on the international stage, but American players have already felt the changes Lang has brought to the team.

"It is a wonderful feeling to have a superstar coach like Lang," said Nicole Davis. "She is a real role model. She is more than just an athlete or a coach; she is a historical figure.

"She is very knowledgeable and she knows the inside game of volleyball and everything. It's really nice to have a coach who is so wise and so close to us."