8 top competitions set to mark 2017 as the busiest year ever for the Asian Volleyball Confederation

2017 is set to be the busiest year ever for the Asian Volleyball Confederation when a total of eight top-notch AVC indoor volleyball tournaments will be held, with the Asian Senior Men’s Championship attracting an unprecedented record of 22 teams.

Only Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan and Thailand have confirmed their participation in all eight tournaments, while powerhouses China are likely not to send their team to defend their title at the Asian Women’s U23 Championship from May 13 to 21 in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, claiming their busy competition schedule.

The 11th Asian Girls’ U18 Championship, which is due to take place in Chongqing, China between March 5 and 13, will get the 2017 AVC competitions off the ground. A total of 13 teams have so far confirmed to compete in the nine-day tournament including hosts China, Korea, Samoa, Chinese Taipei, Australia and New Zealand. Title-holders and successive five-time champions Japan will also be back to defend their crown.

The second tournament of the year will take place in Myanmar when Nay Pyi Taw will host the 11th Asian Boys’ U19 Championship between March 28 and April 5. Australia, Bangladesh, Korea, Chinese Taipei, Uzbekistan and Sri Lanka are among 16 teams which have already confirmed to strut their staff in the top-flight competition. Nonetheless, defending and consecutive six-time champions Iran are expected to mount a strong challenge against all opponents, making it one of the thrilling tournaments to watch this year.

Iran will host the third tournament in the second Asian Men’s U23 Championship, which will be held in Ardabil during May 2 and 10, with 14 teams vying for the top honour. The fully-fledged Iran snatched their first title following a scintillating straight-set victory over Korea in the final showdown in Nay Pyi Taw two years ago. Iran are ready to repeat their feat at home this time despite likely determined challenges from China, Australia and Japan, while 2015 silver medallists Korea have yet submitted their entry to AVC.

Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand will become a battle ground for the second Asian Women’s U23 Championship from May 13 to 21. However, as mentioned earlier, reigning champions China are likely not to send their team to Thailand, while the 2015 bronze medallists Korea also did likewise by not submitting their entry at the deadline.

The tournament is expected to draw a large number of volleyball enthusiasts domestically and internationally as the provincial residents are very fond of volleyball and a fully-packed venue can be seen whenever a volleyball competition is held here. As of January 10, 14 teams have submitted their entries to contest the daunting competition.

Reliable sources said that the host province Nakhon Ratchasima has initially planned to organise the competition in two venues and one of them will be the newly-opened, mega-fun Terminal 21 Shopping Mall, a new landmark in the heart of the city. Undoubtedly, the Thai spikers, who finished second to champions China at the previous edition two years ago, will come out in full force to make the country proud with their significant success at home.

Just one day after the conclusion of the Asian Women’s U23 Championship in Thailand, the 2017 Asian Women’s Club Championship will take place in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan during May 23 and 31. So far, only eight teams have confirmed their participation in the annual competition comprising China, Iran, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Vietnam and hosts Kazakhstan. The winners will secure their berth to compete in the next year’s FIVB Women’s Club World Championship in Japan.

Vietnam will host the 2017 Asian Men’s Club Championship from June 27 to July 5, with 13 teams fighting for the eventual crown and the lone berth to be pitted at the 2018 FIVB Men’s Club World Championship. China, Iran, Japan, Chinese Taipei and Thailand have already decided to join the fray.

The remaining two tournaments of the year will be the AVC’s highlights with the staging of the action-packed Asian Senior Men’s and Women’s Championships. The 19th Asian Senior Men’s Championship in Surabaya, Indonesia between July 24 and August 1 and the 19th Asian Senior Women’s Championship in the Philippines from August 9 to 17.

The Asian Senior Men’s Championship in Indonesia draws a huge attraction with a record 22 teams pitting their expertise against one another. Japan, which stunned successive two-time champions and hosts Iran in dramatic four sets to reign supreme at the previous Asian meet, will return to defend their title. Aside from powerhouses Japan and Iran, the strong contenders comprise Australia, China, Korea and Chinese Taipei, while the remaining teams consist of Bahrain, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Maldives, New Zealand, Pakistan, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

The Asian Senior Men’s Championship made its debut in 1975 in Melbourne, Australia with only seven teams participating and since then, the competition is held biennially with more than 10 teams contesting each edition. In 2013, a total of 21 teams took part in the 17th Asian Senior Men’s Championship in Dubai, where Iran proved their invincibility to beat Korea in the final showdown to win their second title. Iran, however, lost their crown on home soil following a shock 1-3 loss to Japan at the previous episode two years ago.

In terms of the Asian Senior Women’s Championship in the Philippines, 15 teams have already submitted their entries including defending and 13-time champions China. Strong challenges can be expected from former three-time champions Japan, two-time winners Thailand and formidable Korea, which have yet won a title in the Asian meet. At the previous edition in Tianjin, China two years ago, the Koreans came within a whisker of winning their historic crown, but just found hosts and indomitable China too strong to go down tamely in straight sets in the final showdown.

The other teams to contest the top-flight event in the Philippines comprise Australia, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Maldives, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Chinese Taipei, Vietnam and hosts Philippines.

FIVB launches The websites for the Age-Category Volleyball World Championships scheduled to take place in 2017 are now launched and the first place to go to be bang up to date with all the news on next year’s competitions

Lausanne, Switzerland, November 28, 2016 – The websites for the Age-Category Volleyball World Championships scheduled to take place in 2017 are now launched and the first place to go to be bang up to date with all the news on next year’s competitions. 

The Czech Republic will be the first country to hold an Age-Category World Championship next year when the best 16 U21 men’s teams compete for honours in Brno and Ceske Budejovice from June 23 to July 2.

Men’s U23s

Cairo is the host city for the 2017 Men’s U23 World Championship from August 18 to 25. Egypt’s capital is one of the most impassioned venues for volleyball in Africa and will provide a fitting setting as 12 of the best U23 teams vie for the title that Russia won in the United Arab Emirates in 2015.

FIVB Volleyball Men’s U23 World Championship Egypt 2017

Women’s U23s

The 2017 Women’s U23 World Championship will take place in Slovenia from September 10-17. Capital city Ljubljana and Maribor will be the host cities as the top 12 women’s U23 teams chase the chance to succeed Brazil as U23 world champions.

FIVB Volleyball Women’s U23 World Championship Slovenia 2017

Men’s U21s

In 2017, the FIVB is celebrating 40 years since the first Men’s U21 World Championship was held in 1977. The 19th edition of the Men’s U21 World Championship will be held in Brno and Ceske Budejovice in the Czech Republic.

Mexico hosted the 2015 edition of the U21 World Championships, when Russia retained their title with a defeat of Argentina in the final and China saw off Brazil to claim bronze.

FIVB Volleyball Men’s U21 World Championship Czech Republic 2017

Women’s U20s

It is also a special year for the Women’s Under 20 World Championship as they were first held forty years ago in 1977. They are now up to the 19th edition, which will be held in Mexico from July 7 to 16.

Puerto Rico provided a stunning location for the 2015 U20 Women’s World Championship and the Dominican Republic were clearly inspired by the surroundings as they won their maiden title with victory over Brazil in the gold medal match after Italy had held off Japan to claim bronze.

FIVB Volleyball Women’s U20 World Championship Mexico 2017

Boys’ U19s

The Boys’ U19 World Championship is the youngest FIVB age-group tournament for males, giving the next generation of volleyball stars their first taste of global competition. The 15th edition will take place in Bahrain from August 18-27.

Poland won their first title in 2015 after they defeated hosts Argentina in the final, with Iran defeating Russia to clinch the bronze medal.

FIVB Volleyball Boys’ U19 World Championship Bahrain 2017

Girls’ U18s

The Girls’ U18 World Championship is the youngest FIVB age-group tournament for females, and was first introduced in 1989. The 15th edition will take place in Argentina from August 18 to 27, with 20 teams set to battle it out for top spot on the podium.

Italy won their first gold medal in Peru two years ago at the 2015 edition when the tournament extended to 20 teams for the first time. USA retained their silver medal from 2013 and China won bronze.

FIVB Volleyball Girls’ U18 World Championship Argentina 2017

2017 AVC Volleyball Events Calendar

GIRLS' U18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFICATION PROCESS TO RESTART IN MARCH

The qualification process for the 2017 FIVB Volleyball Girls' U18 World Championship in Argentina from August 17 to 27 will begin again early next year after Brazil and Peru were the latest teams to qualify for the World Championship in August, joining Egypt, the Dominican Republic, USA and hosts Argentina.

A total of 20 teams will qualify to participate in the 2017 Girls' U18 World Championship once the qualification process is completed, including six countries from the European Volleyball Confederation, four from the Asian and NORCECA Confederations, three from South America, and two from Africa. Argentina qualify automatically as the competition hosts.

SIX TEAMS QUALIFIED FOR BOYS' U19 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

The qualification process for the 2017 FIVB Volleyball Boys' U19 World Championship in Bahrain from August 17 to 27 most recently featured successes for Argentina and Brazil, who qualified for next year's event from South America at the beginning of October. The two countries join Cuba, USA, Tunisia and Egypt, who were already qualified for the event.

In total, 20 teams will qualify for the World Championship, including six from the European Volleyball Confederation, four from the NORCECA and Asian Confederations, three from South America and two from Africa. They will join hosts Bahrain who qualify automatically for the competition.

Hosts Thailand secured a berth to contest the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship Asian Zone Final beating Vietnam 3-1 (24-26 25-18 25-23 25-20)

Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, October 9, 2016 – Hosts Thailand secured a berth to contest the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship Asian Zone Final Round following a fantastic comeback 3-1 (24-26 25-18 25-23 25-20) victory over Vietnam in their second round-robin encounter at the Nakhon Pathom Municipality Gymnasium in Nakhon Pathom on Sunday.

Thailand brushed off Myanmar in straight sets in their Friday’s opening match of the 2018 FIVB Men’s World Championship Southeast Asian Zonal Qualification Tournament. Myanmar suffered another straight-set defeat on Saturday at the hands of Vietnam in the single round-robin competition, resulting in their shattered dreams at the 2018 World Championship campaign.

In a rematch of the last year’s Singapore South East Asian (SEA) Games final, world No.42 Thailand, which finished seventh at the last week’s AVC Cup for Men at the same competition venue, remained strong in their starting line-up with the likes of ace spiker Jirayu Raksakaew, Kittikun Sri-utthawong, Kitsada Somkane and Kissada Nilsawai, most of them have been playing together for several years. Vietnam also sent in a formidable squad which thrashed Myanmar in comfortable straight sets the previous day including Nguyen Huu Ha, Tu Thanh Thuan and Giang Van Duc.

A large number of home enthusiasts cheered on their team from the very beginning of the battle, but Vietnam put the drum-beating fans under their feet as the visitors took an early 15-12 lead in the first set. Thailand clawed their way back to catch up with them at 19-19 and again 23-23. A thundering attack from Jirayu handed Thailand a crucial set point 24-23, but they just let the first-set win slip through their fingers. Kissada produced an erratic serve, while an attack from Jirayu went wide. As Vietnam were leading narrowly 25-24, Tu Thanh Thuan carried out a powerful jump serve which went unanswered. Vietnam took the hard-fought first set 26-24.

Young Mawin Maneewong replaced setter Boonyarid Wongtorn in the second set and the 193cm-tall setter performed brilliantly. With Mawin and Kissada in excellent combination, Thailand had a good run to lead from the start to finish for the scintillating 25-18 win in this set.

With an aim of turning the table on Thailand, Vietnam came back much stronger in the third set to lead initially 3-1. However, their awesome form was short-lived as Thailand bounced back aggressively, with Jirayu and Kissada penetrating the Vietnamese defence with their attacks. Kissada moved Thailand ahead 24-21, but Vietnam saved two set points before the host side snatched the closely-contested set 25-23.

Holding a 2-1 advantage, Thailand continued their remarkable form in the fourth set with aggressive attacks and solid blocks. Leading 24-19 for good, Thailand allowed the crack visitors only one more point to capture the set 25-20 and match.

Jirayu Raksakaew scored a team-high 24 points for Thailand including 23 kills from 34 attempts. Kissada Nilsawai assisted with 16 kills and 6 solid blocks. Tu Thanh Thuan top scored with 19 points for Vietnam including 16 kills. Nguyen Hoang Thuong contributed with 5 kill blocks.

With two straight wins, Thailand top the leader charge with six points and emerged as the Southeast Asian winners to clinch a berth for the next year’s Asian Zone Final Round, which will see the Asia’s top five teams in the world ranking as of January 1, 2017 and five winners from each Asian Zones split into two pools of five for a single round-robin competition. Only top two teams from each pool (four Asian teams in total) will make the cut for the 24-team 2018 FIVB Men’s World Championship Finals in Italy and Bulgaria.

Vietnam finished second with three points, while winless Myanmar came in third place.

“It’s a good rematch of the last year’s SEA Games final. There, in Singapore, we beat them in straight sets, but here, they came much stronger. In the first set, we played nervously as we just tried to perform our best in front of home crowds. In the second set, we changed the setter and things were getting better and better after that. Kissada did a good job with his fast attacks. After this, we will allow our team players to compete for their own clubs at the Thailand League before calling them for an intensive training in preparation for the next year’s SEA Games, the Asian Championship in Indonesia and the World Championship Qualification Asian Zone Finals. Our team is a mixture between six young bloods and six veterans, but we excelled through teamwork. I believed that young players in our team will have a bright future,” Thailand’s head coach Monchai Supajirakul commented after the match.

RESULTS
Friday, October 7: Thailand b Myanmar 3-0 (27-25 25-17 25-22)
Saturday, October 8: Vietnam b Myanmar 3-0 (25-20 25-13 25-18)
Sunday, October 9: Thailand b Vietnam 3-1 (24-26 25-18 25-23 25-20)

TEAM RANKING
1. Thailand 6 points …….qualified for 2018 World Championship Qualification Tournament Asian Zone Final Round
2. Vietnam 3 points
3. Myanmar 0 point.

Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam will fight it out at the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship Southeast Asian Zonal Qualification Tournament

Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam will fight it out at the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship Southeast Asian Zonal Qualification Tournament at the Nakhon Pathom Municipality Gymnasium from October 7 to 9, vying for the lone spot to contest the next year’s final round.

Last week, the 4,000-seater gymnasium served as a battleground for the “SMM” 5th AVC Cup for Men which saw the host side finish a distant seventh among the Asia’s top eight teams participating in the one-week long competition. However, taken past performances of the three teams into consideration, Thailand have been regarded as hot favourites to clinch the lone ticket from this zonal competition for the final round.

World No.42 Thailand have already captured the gold medal at the South East Asian (SEA) Games for three times in a row (2011 in Palembang, Indonesia, 2013 in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar and 2015 in Singapore). They finished 8th place at the last year’s Asian Senior Volleyball Championship and 7th position at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, Korea.

With powerful attackers Jirayu Raksakaew and Kittikun Sri-utthawong at the helm, Thailand remain the strongest tactically and technically compared with Vietnam and Myanmar. More importantly, aside from taking the home crowd advantage, Thailand are also sending a high-potential team with a unique mixture of veterans and young bloods led by teenager Kantapat Koonmee, who stands 204cm tall, and the 193cm setter Mawin Maneewong, 20.

World No. 77 Vietnam have never won a gold medal at the biennial SEA Games. They came within a whisker of winning the title last year in Singapore, only to go down to Thailand in the final showdown. The Vietnamese did not take part in the Asian Senior Men’s Volleyball Championship at the previous three editions (2015, 2013 and 2011).

Myanmar, also joint 77th in the world ranking, claimed bronze medal at the last year’s SEA Games in Singapore. They did not participate in the last year’s Asian Senior Men’s Championship in Iran, but came in 18th place among 21 teams at the 2013 episode in the UAE. Myanmar are also strong with the likes of hard-hitting Aung Thu. He was instrumental in lifting Myanmar the impressive fifth place at the last year’s Asian Men’s U23 Championship in Nay Pyi Taw aside from playing professionally at the Thailand League for several seasons.

The single round-robin competition at the Nakhon Pathom Municipality Gymnasium in Nakhon Pathom will kick off on Friday, October 7 at 6pm local time, with hosts Thailand taking on Myanmar. The following day sees Myanmar challenge Vietnam at the same time. On Sunday, October 9, hosts Thailand will go up against Vietnam in their final encounter of the three-day meet.

Only the top team will secure a berth to contest the final round, where four teams have already qualified. Iran and China are in Pool A, with Australia and Japan in Pool B. Six qualified teams from zonal competitions will make the cut for the final, with three teams apiece joining Pool A and Pool B.

The final round of the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship Asian Qualification Tournament will be held next year, with Iran and Australia hosting Pool A and Pool B encounters respectively.

Only top two teams from each pool (four teams in total) will then be eligible for the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship, which will be co-hosted for the first time in the history of the competition by Italy and Bulgaria.

Among the three participating countries, only Thailand have once qualified for the 1998 world meet in Japan. They finished joint 19th among 24 participating teams.

MATCH SCHEDULE
Friday, October 7, 2016
6pm: Thailand v Myanmar
Saturday, October 8, 2016
6pm: Vietnam v Myanmar
Sunday, October 9, 2016
6pm: Thailand v Vietnam