Indian team invited for Asian Central Zone Volleyball Championship

LAHORE: India is expected to send its volleyball team to Pakistan for the Asian Central Zone Volleyball Championship which Pakistan will host in May this year.

“I invited them because India is part of the Central Zone. I personally requested India’s representative to send his team. He said that the federation’s elections are going to be held in February and they are confident that they will send the team,” Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF) chairman Chaudhry Mohammad Yaqoob told ‘The News’ after attending a meeting of the Central Asian Volleyball Association (CAVA) in Bangkok the other day.

“I told them that India’s tennis team has come to Pakistan and now they should not have any problem in sending their volleyball team. They said they would try their best to come,” Yaqoob said.

Besides Pakistan and India, Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Sri Lanka and Kyrgyzstan will be part of the event.

“The teams will arrive on May 9. The final will be conducted on May 17,” said Yaqoob, also a former IG Police.

“Now we are to decide about the venue. You know there is no air-conditioned hall in the country. We will either opt for the venue of the Sports Board Punjab where we will install air-conditioners or we will hold the event in the Expo Centre Lahore which has an air-conditioned hall and we will also hold our camp there,” Yaqoob said.

Asked when the camp would be held for this event, he said that they had recently disbanded the junior team camp. “We have recently disbanded the junior team camp and it will be resumed after some time while the senior team camp will be held in due course for the international event which we will host,” Yaqoob said.

He revealed that Pakistan will also feature in the Asian Challenge Cup which will be held in Bahrain from July 2-9.

Yaqoob said that they are also working on the Pro Volleyball League which will be held in September and October.

“Inshallah we will hold the pro volleyball league in September and October. Yes, we are to hold it at any cost. We are working on it,” he said.

“Every team of the six-team event will carry three foreign players but only two foreign players could be part of the playing six,” Yaqoob said.

“We have already talked to a few sponsors and are talking to others. Hopefully we will be able to hold a solid event,” he said.

Yaqoob also revealed that near the end of April, a Pakistani club, with the name of Engro, will feature in the Asian Club Championship in Iran.

He also said that currently Pakistan’s ten volleyballers are engaged in different foreign leagues which is a record.

Pakistan’s volleyball has shown marked improvement in recent years and last year the nation finished fifth in the Asian Games held in Hangzhou, which is a massive achievement.