ISLAMABAD – A 19-member Pakistan squad will leave for Iran on Wednesday to participate in the Asian Men’s Volleyball Championship.
The 20th edition of the championship is scheduled to be held in Tehran, the capital city of Iran from September 13 to 21.
“Our team is comprised of 13 players and six officials,” Secretary Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF), Shah Naeem Zafar told APP on Sunday.
Pakistan have been placed in Group D along with South Korea, Indonesia and Kuwait. Hosts Iran, Qatar Sri Lanka and Australia are in Group A. Group B comprise defending Champions Japan, Chinese Taipei, Thailand and Hong Kong, while China, Kazakhstan, India and Oman form Group C.
Pakistan will face four-time champions South Korea in their inaugural contest on September 13. In their second fixture, they will take on Indonesia on September 14, while their third outing will be against Kuwait on September 15.
According to Shah Pakistan’s Group was not very tough and hence the team’s chances to make it to the next round were bright. “Our team has prepared well for the event at a camp at Pakistan Sports Complex, Islamabad where Korean coach Kim Kyoung Hoon has imparted them training on most modern lines.
“The team is a combination of seniors and juniors. We are expecting it will live up the expectations,” Shah added.
The flagship championship is a biennial international volleyball tournament, organized by the Asian Volleyball Confederation. The top eight from the championship will go through to the 2020 AVC Men’s Volleyball Olympic Qualification Tournament, to be held early, next year.
Pakistan team: Aimal Khan (captain), Asif, Kashif, Mubashir, Fakhir, Sheraz, Adrees, Bilal Khan, Nasir, Zaheer, Haider, Usman Faryad and Murad Jehan.
Officials: Sohail Tajik (head of the delegate), Kim Kyoung Hoon (coach), Saeed Ahmed (assistant coach), Fazal Ahmed (assistant coach), Akber Ali (trainer) and Ubaidullah Shah (referee).
