LAHORE (Kashmir English): India and Afghanistan are set to feature in the eight-nation Central Asian Men’s Volleyball Championship to be held in Lahore from July 3-10.
Addressing a press conference, Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF) chairman Chaudhry Mohammad Yaqoob, said the PVF had forwarded the confirmations of both countries to the foreign ministry to ensure timely issuance of visas to their squads.
“Under the IOC Charter, sports should remain separate from political affairs,” Yaqoob said, and added if Iran could travel to the United States for the FIFA World Cup, there should be no issue for India and Afghanistan coming to Pakistan.
Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Nepal have also confirmed participation in the championship, while Iran and Uzbekistan are also expected to join the event.
Yaqoob described the championship as a recognised world ranking event, adding the tournament would provide valuable ranking points to participating teams besides offering Pakistan an opportunity to showcase its organisational capabilities.
National Volleyball League
Meanwhile, Pakistan Volleyball Federation also announced a busy international and domestic calendar for the year, including the inaugural National Volleyball League to be staged in Lahore from July 19 to Aug 5.
“Six franchise teams, each featuring two foreign players, will participate in the league,” Yaqoob said.
Separately, the Under-17 World Championship will be held in Doha from Aug 19-29. A training camp for the Pakistan side is already under way in Islamabad.
Twenty-four countries, including Brazil, Iran, Italy, Japan, Poland, Turkiye and the United States, will participate in the event.
Pakistan will also be part of the Asian U-18 Volleyball Championship in Bahrain from July 12 to 18, while the senior team is set to feature in the Asian Games in Japan later this year.
