Belogorie officially ended its contract with Chinese outside hitter Jingyin Zhang due to his ongoing knee injury and slow recovery.
Club director Sergey Tetyukhin shared the news during a pre-season press conference, calling it a difficult but necessary decision.
“Unfortunately, we had to terminate our contract with Jingyin Zhang,” Tetyukhin said. “We were closely following his recovery in China for several months, hoping for progress. We even offered to have him examined in Russia or Europe, but after five months, there’s been no improvement. Together with the Chinese Volleyball Federation and Zhang himself, we agreed to take a break in our cooperation.”
Tetyukhin added that Belogorie remains open to Zhang’s possible return once he fully recovers. The club thanked him for his contribution and wished him a swift recovery.
During the same press conference, Tetyukhin reflected on last season, describing it as challenging yet promising. Despite numerous injuries, Belogorie secured bronze medals in both the Legends Cup and the Russian Championship.
“It was a tough season, but the team showed great character,” he said. “We had to play away from home most of the year, yet our players kept improving and fighting.”
Belogorie also announced several roster and coaching changes. Gheorghe Krețu, a familiar face to fans, has taken over as head coach, with Igor Kolodinsky as his assistant. Returning to the lineup are Ivan Yakovlev, Stanislav Masliev, and Evgeny Zhogov, while Mohamed Al Hachdadi remains the team’s only foreign player.
The team recently finished third in the 80th Anniversary of Victory Cup and is now preparing for its 34th consecutive Russian Championship, beginning Sunday in Nizhny Novgorod.
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