The Eighth Membership Congress of the Chinese Volleyball Association was held in Beijing on May 12, where Lai Yawen was elected as the new president of the association. The congress completed the election process for the association’s leadership, with Lai Yawen taking the helm as president. Xue Hui, Chen Shaojun, Qiao Yunping, Zhang Xin, Chen Dongsheng, and Gai Yang were elected as vice presidents, while Yuan Lei was elected as vice president and secretary-general.
In her speech, Lai Yawen reviewed the work of the Seventh Committee and expressed heartfelt gratitude to the predecessors and members of the seventh committee who have made outstanding contributions to Chinese volleyball. She also outlined the association’s future work plans.
According to public information, Lai Yawen, born in 1970, is a legendary player and coach of the Chinese women’s volleyball team. During her playing career, she served as the team captain and helped the Chinese women’s volleyball team win a silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. After retiring, she transitioned to coaching in 1999, serving as an assistant coach for the Chinese women’s volleyball team under head coaches including Hu Jin, Chen Zhonghe, Cai Bin, Yu Juemin, and Lang Ping. She assisted the team in winning the World Cup titles in 2003 and 2015, as well as Olympic gold medals in 2004 and 2016.
In 2017, Lai Yawen was appointed as the deputy director of the Volleyball Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, and in 2023, she became the director of the center.
