14 Facts About Yuan Weimin

Yuan Weimin is a Chinese sports administrator and civil servant.

Yuan Weimin was the Executive President of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Yuan Weimin spent much of his time studying volleyball coaching, without a team to coach.

Yuan Weimin retired as a player in 1974 from the position of national team captain.

In 1976, Yuan Weimin was appointed head coach of the women's national volleyball team.

Yuan Weimin's task was to restore the team to pre-Cultural Revolution-level.

Yuan Weimin did more than that, transforming a team from a 16th place finish in the 1974 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship to a super power, winning the 1981 World Cup, the 1982 world championship and the 1984 Olympic gold medal.

Yuan Weimin was inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2007.

Yuan Weimin became a national hero after winning gold medal in the Olympics.

Yuan Weimin's book My Way of Teaching was a sellout.

Yuan Weimin was promoted to vice-minister of the Sports Commission at age 36, and was elected as a candidate member of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in 1985.

In 2000, Yuan Weimin was promoted to director general of the Chinese General Administration of Sports and chairman of the Chinese Olympic Committee.

Yuan Weimin was appointed to lead the Chinese Football Association after the disastrous 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification finish.

Yuan Weimin resigned in 1989 after the national Olympic team went goalless in the 1988 Olympics, but was brought back after his replacement Nian Weisi resigned following another failure in the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification AFC Final Round.