Australian Volleyball coach Wei Ping Tu has received the Australian Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his services, over many years, to the development of Volleyball in Australia.

From China to Australia

After studying Volleyball at the famous Beijing Sports University and coaching in China for many years, Wei Ping migrated to Australia in 1988 and the next year began coaching Volleyball in Sydney.

In 1990 he was a volunteer coach of the Australian Men’s Volleyball team that was beginning a full-time training program at the Australian Institute of Sport. Later in that decade, Wei Ping formed the Australian Men’s Sitting Volleyball team in preparation for the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games and led that team to a variety of World ParaVolley international competitions after the Games.

Volleyball development

In the field of Volleyball for athletes with a physical impairment or disability, Wei Ping was soon recognised by World ParaVolley as a Coach Instructor and International Technical Official at the highest level.

He has delivered Coach Education courses around the world and acted as an Official at many international World ParaVolley competitions, including World Championships and the London Paralympic Games.

World ParaVolley congratulations

World ParaVolley President Barry Couzner, himself an OAM recipient, said there has never been a coach like Wei Ping in Australia.

“Wei Ping has distinguished himself in Australia as a national and international sport expert and made a unique pioneering contribution to the birth of the sport of Volleyball for athletes with a disability within Australia. There is no-one in Australia who can match his unique contribution to the original development of disability Volleyball in this country – he made history.”