On November 24, Lang Ping, a former head coach of the Chinese Women's National Volleyball Team and a Researcher at Beijing Normal University (BNU), was honored with the 2025 International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award with Cuban wrestling coach Raul de Jesus Trujillo Diaz.

Established in 2017, the IOC Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes two individuals annually for their extraordinary contributions to international sports. Lang Ping  is the first coach from one of the "Big Three Ball Sports" (volleyball, basketball, and football) to receive this honor since the award's creation.

After receiving the trophy from pole vault legend Sergey Bubka, who serves as the Chair of the IOC Athletes' Entourage Commission, Lang Ping was visibly moved. She said, "I am so excited. This award is different from those in volleyball; it is presented by the International Olympic Committee and is one of the most significant honors I have ever received."

During the presentation, Mr. Bubka noted that the number of nominees this year reached a record high of 152. He stressed that selecting just two recipients from such a large and competitive field was exceptionally challenging. Lang Ping said, "I find it incredible. With so many phenomenal coaches and so many sports worldwide, I feel extremely lucky to have been selected from this esteemed group of nominees."

The 64-year-old Lang Ping is the first person in the volleyball world to win Olympic gold as both player and coach. She won gold medal as a player with the Chinese Women's National Team at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and again guided the team to victory as Head Coach at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Additionally, she has led both the Chinese Women’s National Team and the U.S. Women’s National Team to Olympic silver medals during her coaching career. Since 2021, Lang Ping has been engaged in educational work at BNU, while also serving as Vice President of the Chinese Volleyball Association. She said: "Whether as an athlete or a coach, and whether working in different countries around the world, I feel that I have always been doing something meaningful and realizing my dreams."

As a player, Lang Ping, known by the nickname "Iron Hammer", helped the Chinese Women's National Team achieve a historic "Triple Crown" (three consecutive world titles). She served as the Head Coach of the Chinese Women's National Team twice, from 1995 to 1998 and again from 2013 to 2021. She led the team to remarkable success, securing gold medals at the 2015 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup, the 2016 Rio Olympics, and the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup, making outstanding contributions to the development of Chinese volleyball.

Beyond the court, as a researcher at the School of History at BNU, Lang Ping is dedicated to researching the history of modern and contemporary Chinese sports culture and promoting the inheritance and innovation of sports culture. Through her dual identity, she demonstrates a sincere commitment and strong dedication to the cause of education.