Belgian Heynen fulfils dream of coaching China men's volleyball team

WARSAW, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Belgian coach Vital Heynen, who just took the reins of the Chinese national men's volleyball team, told Polish media in an interview that "this job was his dream."

"In 2021, when I finished working with Poland's national team, I emphasized that there was one team that I would particularly like to coach. It was China. It was always clear to me that if they wanted to hire me, I would join them," Heynen was quoted as saying by Polish media on Friday.

The Chinese Volleyball Association announced on Thursday that Heynen has been named head coach of the Chinese men's volleyball team. The 54-year-old coach noted that his great dream has come true.

The Belgian worked with the Polish men's national team successfully from 2018 to 2021, claiming world title, the bronze medal of the 2021 Men's European Volleyball Championship, the World Cup runner-up and the fifth place at the Tokyo Olympics.

"When I led the Polish team in the Nations League tournament in Ningbo (China) in 2019, I thought that there must be potential in such a sports-oriented country (China), with infrastructure where many people practice volleyball," he added.

The 31st-ranked Chinese men's team failed to secure an Olympic spot in the qualifiers last year and didn't get a chance to compete in this year's Volleyball Nations League.

"I think my work in China would not only coach the senior national team, but also help in the development of youth volleyball players and Chinese coaches," Heynen explained.

"I will try to support every aspect of Chinese men's volleyball with my experience and knowledge. The Chinese women's national team is one of the best in the world. The men's national team can also be like that," he noted.

The team's training camp roster, released on Thursday, includes veteran Jiang Chuan, who played the past couple of seasons in the Japanese league, and rising star Zhang Jingyin.

"The human potential is very high, there is everything needed to be at world level. China really wants the men's national team to win medals. The conditions are perfect. It's not a several-month project. I have to stay in China longer," Heynen concluded.