Islamabad
National volleyball team will take on four-time champions South Korea on Friday in their inaugural fixture of Asian Men’s Volleyball Championship. The 20th edition of the championship is taking place in Tehran, the capital city of Iran from September 13 to 21. Pakistan have been placed in Group D along with South Korea, Indonesia and Kuwait.
Hosts Iran, Qatar Sri Lanka and Australia are in Group A. Group B comprises defending Champions Japan, Chinese Taipei, Thailand and Hong Kong, while China, Kazakhstan, India and Oman form Group C. In their second fixture, Pakistan will take on Indonesia on Friday (September 14), while they will face Kuwait on September 15 in their third fixture of first round. According to Secretary Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF), Shah Naeem Zafar, Pakistan’s Group was not comparatively easier and hence the team’s chances to make it to the next round were bright.
“We’ve tried to make a strong team. It is a combination of juniors and seniors. We hope if the boys played with their full potential they can emerge victorious,” he told APP. He said the team had undergone tough training under the supervision of Korean Kim Kyoung Hoon at a camp at Pakistan Sports Complex, Islamabad.
The prestigious championship is a biennial international volleyball tournament, organized by the Asian Volleyball Confederation. The top eight teams from the championship will go through to the 2020 AVC Men’s Volleyball Olympic Qualification Tournament, to be held early, next year.—APP
