India invited to five-nation volleyball c’ship next year

ISLAMABAD: The Indian team has been invited to take part in a five-nation championship to be held in Islamabad in the first week of September 2024, revealed Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF) Director Technical and former Pakistan captain Naseer Ahmad at a press conference at Liaquat Gymnasium Thursday.

He confirmed that apart from India, Iran, Kazakhstan and Thailand will also compete. “We have extended an invitation to the Indian volleyball to send their national team for the international event to be held in the first week of September 2024. It will be the first international event to be held in Pakistan after a long time,” Naseer said.

In case India fails to turn up for the event, it will be a four-nation event. It will be followed by a one-month volleyball league starting from mid-September 2024. “Some leading names of international volleyball will participate in the league. It will be a big beginning for Pakistan volleyball,” said Naseer, who was accompanied by Director Coaching Issanaye Ramires (Brazil) and secretary PVF Ch Mohammad Akram.

He said that two junior outfits, under-20 and under-23, were busy training at the Liaquat Gymnasium. “These youngsters are the future of Pakistan volleyball as around 50 players are getting training under the watchful eyes of the Brazilian coach.”

Issanaye Ramires was all praise for Pakistan volleyball saying it deserves big support. “Look now Pakistan are No 5 in Asia and have left even teams like Korea and India behind. They deserve full support for their outstanding performance. I have been working on players and coaches who will form the future of Pakistan volleyball,” he said.

Future Pakistan football activities include Asian Men’s Club Volleyball Championship (April), CAVA Under-18 international event in July in Uzbekistan, CAVA U-20 Volleyball Championship in Sri Lanka.

The March 2024 Martial Arts Games for which the team was training have already been postponed for the late part of 2024. Naseer called on the media and authorities to help volleyball get its due status. “Look football is ranked around 40 in Asia and around 200 in the world. We are No 5 in Asia and among the top 40 in the world. We have beaten teams like Korea and India fair and square at the Asian Games where we finished fifth. We deserve far better treatment from the media and authorities. I must here praise the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) contributions and support it has extended for volleyball in recent times,” Naseer said.

He requested the media to take the PVF message to the masses. “We want the media to highlight our achievements. We anticipate a positive ripple effect, attracting more sponsors who may be inclined to invest in the sport,” he added.