Li Tianle, a national team volleyball player from Nantong. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Li Tianle from Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, will represent Team China in the Men's Volleyball Nations League 2025, which is set to kick off in various regions around the globe on June 11.

Li is the first male player from Nantong to compete in the event since 2009.

The current Nantong Olympic athlete, Wu Mengjie, is currently competing in the Women's Volleyball Nations League 2025. This marks the first time in history that Nantong players from both the men's and women's teams are simultaneously appearing in the world league in a single season.

At 25 years old, Li was first selected for the Chinese men's team training squad last year. This season, another Nantong newcomer, Gu Qinfan, was also called up to the national team training squad.

For the first time in 20 years, the Nantong volleyball scene will once again see two male national team players competing simultaneously. The last time this occurred was when Shi Hairong and Zhang Xiaodong both made it onto the Chinese men's team training list together. So far, Nantong has produced a total of six male national team players.

Volleyball is a traditional strength of Nantong, which has produced numerous national team athletes in male indoor volleyball, female indoor volleyball, male beach volleyball, and female beach volleyball.