Sina.com (SINA) announced that Hurst Lin, Chief Operating Officer, has indicated his intention to resign from his position from the company to pursue venture capital investment opportunities.

To ensure a smooth transition, Lin will remain in his current position until March 31, 2006. Concurrently, Lin has been appointed to the Board of Directors, effective immediately.

Lin was a co-founder of SinaNet, one of the two predecessor companies of SINA. Lin has been with the company for over 10 years since the inception of SinaNet.

"Hurst has contributed greatly to the founding and the development of Sina and we are sad to see him leave but we also understand his decision to move on and seek new challenges. We wish him the very best in his future endeavors," said Wang Yan, Sina's Chief Executive Officer. "Simultaneously, we're looking forward to continue to work with Hurst on our Board and for him to continue to provide his experience and insights to the company."