Korean volleyball coach due on 30th

KARACHI: The newly-hired South Korean volleyball coach Kim Kyoung Hoon will land in Pakistan on April 30 to take charge as Pakistan’s coach, a senior official of Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF) said on Monday.

“Yes Kim is coming on April 30,” PVF chairman Chaudhry Mohammad Yaqoob told The News. He said that the South Korean had been hired for six months. “You know our outgoing Iranian coach Hamid Movahedi had developed the teams and we don’t want to let his work wasted and so we opted to hire immediately Kim to build on Movahedi’s fine effort,” Yaqoob said.

Kim’s immediate task would be to hold Pakistan camp for the Asian Men’s Seniors Championship slated to be held in Iran from September 13 to 21. “We will sit with him to decide about the fate of the camp for the continental event.

We would try to hold camp in Ramadan as you know training sessions may be arranged in the night,” Yaqoob said. As per draws of the Asian Championships, hosts Iran, Australia, Qatar and one team finishing second among the Central Zone teams (India, Sri Lanka and Turkmenistan) are in Pool A. Title-holders Japan, Chinese Taipei, Thailand and Hong Kong in Pool B while Pool C consists of Kazakhstan, silver medallists at the previous edition in Indonesia two years ago, China, one team finishing second among the Western Zone teams (Oman, Kuwait, Iraq), and one team finishing first among the Central Zone teams (India, Sri Lanka and Turkmenistan).

Pool D comprises Korea, Indonesia, one team finishing first among the Western Zone teams (Oman, Kuwait and Iraq), and Pakistan. Movahedi, whose two-year contract expired on March 31, left for his hometown Istanbul just a few days ago. Pakistan failed to renew his contract because the government refused to provide any more fund for the purpose that forced PVF to go against extending his contract.

Yaqoob said that the recently-held National Championship was also productive, adding, some good talent was spotted. “Some good boys have been spotted at the national event in Lahore. Among them are four to five setters and some more having different speciality,” Yaqoob said. He said there is an immense talent in Pakistan and effort would be made to groom it through productive programmes in future.