PVF will try to start camp in June for Japan event

KARACHI: Knowing well that anything may happen due to uncertain Covid-19 situation, Pakistan Volleyball Federation’s (PVF) chairman Chaudhry Mohammad Yaqoob on Saturday said that the best possible effort would be made to hold the national senior team camp by June for the Asian Volleyball Championship to be hosted by Japan from September 12-19.

“Yes, it’s a very important tournament and we will definitely feature in it. There are Covid issues but we will try our best to start preparation by June,” Yaqoob told ‘The News’.

“We had written to the Ministry of IPC that we needed a camp. I am also going to go to Islamabad after Eid and will meet the sports authorities and hopefully we will decide the camp details later this month,” said Yaqoob, a former top police official.

Pakistan have not featured in any international event since the South Asian Games held in Nepal in December 2019.

It will be a tough task to build the side inside three months for the Japan event.

“Yes time is a big issue as we will hardly get three months for preparation if we begin camp in June,” Yaqoob said. “But fitness of the players will not be that bad as our key players have been busy taking part in events in rural areas including Shakargarh, Sialkot, Narowal and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” Yaqoob said.

“Four players of our junior side, which trained at the POF Wah recently, will also be part of the senior side and they will be in a good shape. It’s a tough task to prepare a very good side in a short time but we will make every possible effort to get the best out of them,” Yaqoob said.

“Japan cannot delay the event until the end of this year because after September the weather there will turn too cold for the game and it will not be possible for them to host it,” Yaqoob said. The Asian Championship will also serve as qualifiers for the World Championship.