After bagging bronze in Beijing and winning the Asian Cup early this month, China's women's national volleyball team was officially disbanded on Tuesday, marking the end of a "Golden Generation" with world and Olympic titles wins in the past eight years.

Veteran players will pursue different lives - some back in their provincial team in the domestic league, some abroad furthering their careers and some saying goodbye to the sport altogether - as a host of new faces will appear in the national team.

"There are mixed feelings in my heart," said head coach Chen Zhonghe, who began leading the team in 2001. "Next time we get together, some of them will not be there."

Zhou Suhong (left), Zhao Ruirui (center) and Feng Kun are members of the China women's volleyball's "Golden Generation" but most of them will say goodbye to the national team. [Xinhua]

Chen steered the then struggling team from rock bottom to the top at the 2001 World Grand Champion Cup shortly after taking over the job and selecting new faces who would later be collectively dubbed the "Golden Generation".

Chen's team continued to produce surprises in 2003, winning the FIVB Grand Prix finals and World Cup before peaking to win the 2004 Athens Games.

There they won back the Olympic gold medal that had eluded China for the past 20 years.

Though the team failed to maintain top form because of injuries to key players after Athens victory, Chen still managed to keep China among the world's elite group.

His under-pressure charges fought hard and finally finished with bronze in Beijing.

There were flowers and applause rather than complaints and criticism after the Beijing Games before the "Golden Generation" wound down in a victorious style with a sweeping win of this month's Asian Cup.

Chen's future is now the subject of much speculation.

Some reports claim he wants to stay and is likely to extend his contract with the sport's governing body - China Volleyball Administrative Center. (CVAC)

But officials from CVAC say the job of selecting a new national coach is yet to begin.

"We have not started the selection work yet and all the reports about the future coach are wrong," said Xu Li, director of CVAC. "The domestic league will finish next April, so the new national team will not be assembled until that time. During this period, we have enough time to think about the coach's job."

Xu paid tribute to Chen's eight-year tenure but refused to talk about his future.

"Chen did a very good job at the past two Olympic Games. With him at the helm, all players and coaches tried their best during the Beijing Games and a bronze medal is a very good result.

"We have never heard of information, or seen plans, or research (about Chen's future). All nonsense."

(China Daily October 16, 2008)