Experienced Xue called up to beach squad

Xue Chen, a bronze medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has been called up for the Chinese national beach volleyball squad’s next training camp, which is scheduled to begin early next month.

The 31-year-old, who partnered Zhang Xi to win China’s first Olympic medal in beach volleyball at the Beijing Games, is joined by Rio 2016 Olympian Wang Fan, Xia Xinyi, Wang Xinxin, Wen Shuhui and Wang Jingzhe in the national women’s roster, which was announced by the Volleyball Management Center of the State General Administration of Sport on Wednesday.

Xue claimed gold alongside Zhang at the 2013 world championships but failed to qualify for the Rio Games when she was paired with Xia.

The players will gather in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, on June 8 to begin training and preparation for the Tokyo Olympic Games, which have been postponed until July 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.