Team for Asian U23 Volleyball Championship to be named near July-end

KARACHI: Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF) is expected to announce its team for the Asian Men’s Under-23 Volleyball Championship near the end of this month.

“On Sunday I am going to Islamabad and will meet the selectors,” PVF chairman Chaudhry Yaqoob told ‘The News’ from Lahore on Thursday. “Hopefully we will announce Pakistan squad on July 22 or 23,” he added.

Pakistan’s camp is in operation at the Hamidi Hall at the Pakistan Sports Complex, Islamabad. As many as 16 teams will compete in the Asian Men’s Under-23 Volleyball Championship, which will be held in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, from August 3-11.

Pakistan have been placed in Group C with Chinese Taipei and West Zone No1 and No3 teams. Yaqoob said that the team would leave for Myanmar on July 30 and would return on August 12.

The 12 players will be accompanied by five officials. South Korea’s Kim Kyoung Hoon will be serving as the coach. An interpreter will accompany him as Kim cannot speak English. PVF has hired the services of Kim for six months. He is being paid 4000 dollars per month by the PVF from its own kitty.

Kim has replaced Iran’s Hamid Movahedi whose two-year contract expired last spring. Yaqoob is happy with the way the Korean is working with the boys. “He is a good coach. His focus is on conditioning as he wants speed from his players. At the same time he is also working on skills. Let’s see how he delivers in Myanmar,” Yaqoob said.

“Movahedi’s style of coaching was European,” he was quick to add. The biggest issue before the PVF is arrangement of funds. The federation has written to the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) for full-fledged support of the team’s tour.

“The tour will cost us around Rs6 million. We cannot meet this much expense. We have requested the PSB to fully sponsor the trip which is very important,” said Yaqoob, a former top police official.

Meanwhile, PVF also held a camp of the senior team alongside the under-23 players ten days ago. The senior team will feature in the 20th Asian Seniors Men’s Volleyball Championship slated to be held in Tehran from September 13-21. “Two sessions are being conducted daily,” Yaqoob said.