On *The Great Comeback of the Chinese Women's Volleyball Team* and the 2002 World Championship
Recently I have been listening to Yang Yi's latest audio series, National Action: The Great Comeback of the Chinese Women's Volleyball Team. In episode five, he says that Chen Zhonghe deliberately lost matches to Greece and South Korea in order to secure a more favorable route and a fourth-place finish at the World Championship.
At the time I was in my senior year of university, and I had absolutely no memory of that history. I also rarely watched volleyball. So I specifically went back to examine the public opinion surrounding it.
Around September 27, 2002: the homepage of Sina Sports' volleyball section
The full text of the open letter from the women's volleyball team mentioned in the audio series: 
Open Letter to the Fans from the Head of Delegation and the Head Coach of the Chinese Women's Volleyball Team
At the just-concluded Women's World Championship, in order to choose our group after entering the top twelve and to select our opponent after entering the quarterfinals, we took it upon ourselves to deliberately lose to Greece and South Korea through improper means. This was a directional and serious mistake. At the time it happened, we did not even realize in our thinking that it was wrong. In some situations we still argued self-righteously and insisted that we were correct, which only increased the dissatisfaction and doubt of public opinion, our opponents, and volleyball fans. It was only after leaders from the State Sports General Administration discovered the problem, called Germany, clearly expressed their position, and severely criticized us, that we realized the seriousness of the matter. In the days after returning home, under criticism and help from superiors and many sides, we calmly and seriously examined and reflected on ourselves, while also reading a great number of letters and reports from the public. We were deeply shaken and deeply educated.
We began to understand that the nature of our mistake was serious. Deliberately choosing to lose before the match was in fact match-fixing, and the result damaged many interests and caused extremely bad influence internationally. Even if the competition format made such calculations possible, such behavior in itself violated professional ethics, the spirit of sport, and the principle of fair competition. It was a classic example of placing medals above all else. What is especially painful is that it happened with this new generation of the Chinese women's volleyball team. Carrying forward the spirit of the older Chinese women's volleyball teams, who fought for every match and every point, and walking the road of tenacious struggle and progress, should be both our duty and our firm direction. Yet our actions ran directly against that spirit.
The impact of our mistake was deeply negative. Deliberately losing created the ugly impression of disrespecting opponents, referees, and spectators. In the past, the Chinese women's volleyball team had enjoyed a strong reputation internationally not only for results and technique, but also for spirit, discipline, etiquette, and sportsmanship. Because of our mistake, that image was badly damaged. At home, for more than twenty years the Chinese women's volleyball team had been strongly supported by all sectors of society and loved by countless fans. During this tournament, many people who cared about the team even stayed up into the middle of the night to watch matches. Yet our mistake deeply hurt all of them. As a team with a glorious tradition and symbolic importance in Chinese sports, our error in a time when the country was emphasizing sportsmanship and discipline created serious negative influence and set a bad example.
The lesson of our mistake is profound. Our superiors and the broader fan base trusted us fully, entrusted us with important responsibilities, and placed great hopes in us. We ourselves also always felt this heavy responsibility and worked actively with full commitment. But facts prove that enthusiasm, hard work, and professional study are not enough on their own. Clear political judgment, a sense of the larger picture, and discipline are equally necessary. Otherwise one loses direction in one's work and harms both the country and the cause. We know that such a major loss requires us to bear responsibility, however difficult that responsibility may be to bear. In particular, as the head of delegation and the first person responsible for the Chinese women's volleyball team, I bear an unshirkable primary responsibility. We sincerely accept criticism and are willing to accept punishment.
We will continue to summarize and reflect deeply on all of this. We earnestly ask everyone to believe that we can learn from this lesson, correct our mistake, and work even harder in the future. At the same time, we sincerely hope that everyone will continue to care about and support the Chinese women's volleyball team.
Around September 27, 2002: related reports on Sina Sports' volleyball section
Around September 27, 2002: popular comments on Sina Sports' volleyball section
Unlike today, the "popular comments" of those years were basically all drawn from newspapers and other print media. After a quick look, it is clear that negative commentary formed the overwhelming majority.