Alyson Annan announced that she was stepping down as coach of China’s women’s hockey team after four and a half years. Her greatest success with the team was reaching the Olympic final in Paris in 2024, where China lost to defending champions the Netherlands after a shoot-out.

Annan, a 53-year-old Australian, previously coached the Dutch national team from 2015. With the Netherlands, she won Olympic gold in 2020, Olympic silver in 2016 and the 2018 world title. She was dismissed in early 2022 after players said there was a culture of fear and silence. Annan said her career was taking a break, not coming to an end.