By Jean Malanum
MANILA – The Philippines’ men’s and women’s indoor volleyball teams have qualified for the Nagoya-Aichi 20th Asian Games this September.
“This is great news for our volleyball program,” said Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino in a news release Monday.
He said the POC received the email from the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) on the country’s qualification for the Asiad over the weekend.
The Philippines is at No. 10 (women) and No. 15 (men) on the FIVB rankings in Asia.
There will be 16 teams each in the men’s and women’s categories in the Asian Games volleyball to be played at the Aichi Prefecture from Sept. 27 to Oct. 3.
Competing in the men’s division are Japan, Iran, Pakistan, South Korea, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Qatar, Bahrain, Chinese-Taipei, India, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Hong Kong.
In the women’s division are Japan, Kazakhstan, Iran, China, Chinese-Taipei, Thailand, Vietnam, Qatar, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, India, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Mongolia, and North Korea.
AVC president Ramon “Tats” Suzara confirmed the good news to Tolentino, whose POC is bound to be the “caretaker” of the country’s volleyball affairs following the FIVB’s suspension of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation.
The indoor volleyball teams’ qualification completes the Philippine entries in the sport at the Asian Games after the beach volleyball squads led by Bangkok 2025 Southeast Asian Games champions Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons made it to the 12-country competition.
They will face teams from China, Japan, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Iran, Kazakhstan, Qatar, and Oman in the event to be held at the Hekinan Ryokuchi Beach Court in Hekinan City.
The POC is fielding at least 700 athletes to the Asian Games, with Tolentino hoping to have more qualifiers in esports, modern pentathlon and taekwondokyorugi (sparring). (PNA)
