Bahrain ready to host Asian Men’s U20 Volleyball Championship

Manama, July 20 (BNA): The stage is set for one of the biggest volleyball competitions in the world, the 19th Asian Men’s U20 Championship, which gets underway tomorrow at Isa Sports City in Riffa. An impressive field of 24 nations from across the continent are competing in the event, which is scheduled to go on for the entire week. The tournament has been organised by the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) in cooperation with the Bahrain Volleyball Association. It is being held under the patronage of His Majesty the King’s Charity Works and Youth Affairs Representative, Supreme Council for Youth and Sports Chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee President HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa. Taking place this evening in preparation for Saturday’s start of play was the general technical meeting. It was held at Golden Tulip Hotel in Manama. In attendance were the tournament’s Control Committee President Saeed Derakhshandeh, International Referee Chang Chin Jong, Local Organising Committee Executive Director JehadKhalfan, and officials from all the participating national teams. Khalfan relayed the greetings of BVA President Shaikh Ali bin Mohammed Al Khalifa to all participating teams, and wished them all the best for the championship. The rules of the tournament were also discussed along with other relevant formalities, and the teams were given a chance to voice any concerns heading into the start of play. The tournament’s team of international referees was also introduced, as were the medical and media delegates. A Press conference followed, with the participation of several of the head coaches of the participating nations. Iran head coach Behrouz Ataei said that the battle for the title is wide open. Their junior national volleyball team are one of the the pre-tournament favourites, having won the silver medals in the previous continental competition in 2016 and then being crowned champions in the FIVB Boys’ U19 World Championship last year, in a tournament also held in Bahrain. But as this year’s Asian showcase, Ataei prefers not to live by the favouritestag, even with nine players returning from the squad that won the 2017 world title. “The thing about Asia is there are many tough teams, even from the small countries, and then we have the big teams like Japan and Korea, and some Arab teams, who are always fighting at the top,” Ataei said today. “Our main goal in this competition is to finish in the top two and qualify for the FIVB Men’s U21 World Championship next year, that is what we are thinking about.” Ataei and many other coaches noted during the conference that they expect a different kind of challenge over the next week. This tournament marks only the second time this year that more than 16 nations are taking part in an AVCevent, and it will also be the first time a new competition format, proposed by the AVC, is set to be used. “It’s great to see 24 teams here competing in this championship,” said Australia head coach Marty Collins. “It really shows the wide region we are playing in.” Qatar head coach Percy Oncken shared this sentiment, and said it was “amazing” to see such a big field of nations taking part. There were mixed opinions, however, with the new competition format for the championship. One of the coaches said he was in favour of the change, explaining that it gave teams more of a chance of qualifying past the first round. Others, like Ataei, however, were not as enthusiastic for the new format, as it segregated the strong teams from the weaker ones, and he expects it to be altered once again in the near future. Matches on Saturday are scheduled to begin at 11.30am and continue until the evening. Games will be played simultaneously in two arenas at Isa Sports City. Entrance for spectators is free and all are welcome. For the championship’s Preliminary Round, Division One includes China, Iran and South Korea in Pool A1; Japan, Thailand and Turkmenistan in Pool B1; Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan and Australia in Pool C1; and Bahrain, Iraq and Qatar in Pool D1. In Division Two, Chinese Taipei, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia make up Pool A2; Hong Kong, Jordan and the UAE are in Pool B2; India, New Zealand and Uzbekistan are in Pool C2; and Macau, Maldives and Malaysia are in Pool D2. SATURDAY’S MATCHES (in order of Time, Court 1 game, Court 2 game) 11.30am: Taipei vs Saudi Arabia, India vs Uzbekistan 2pm: Thailand vs Japan, Maldives vs Malaysia 4.30pm: China vs Iran, Jordan vs Hong Kong 7pm: Bahrain vs Iraq, Sri Lanka vs Kazakhstan