Volleyball team may tour China

KARACHI: Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF) plans to provide at least one foreign training tour to the national team to prepare it for Asian Men’s Volleyball championship which will be hosted by Tehran from July 31 to August 8.
“We will try our best to provide at least one training opportunity to our side,” PVF’s chairman Chaudhry Mohammad Yaqoob told ‘The News’ on Saturday.
He said China would be the right destination. “We will look at our financial condition before deciding which country we should send our team,” Yaqoob said.
He said that in order to pick players for the national team, the PVF would hold National Championship at WAPDA Sports Complex in Lahore from May 11-17 in which all the affiliated units would participate.
“It will be like open trials and all those players who excel in the event will be invited for the camp which will be held soon after the championship,” said Yaqoob.
The Asian Championship is a great opportunity for Pakistan to improve rankings. Pakistan did not feature in the last edition held in Dubai in 2013 because a parallel volleyball federation had written a letter to the organsiers that Pakistan could not feature in the competitions.
“Yes, it was because of a serious misunderstanding that we lost the opportunity to participate in that event,” Yaqoob recalled.
Pakistan’s star players Naseer Ahmed and Aimal Khan are playing in foreign leagues these days. Naseer is playing in Lebanon while Aimal is playing in Taiwan.
But Yaqoob said they would be available for the national duty.
“Their seasons normally end in June and I hope they will be part of Pakistan team,” said Yaqoob.
He said that his federation’s dispute with Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) over implementation of the tenure-restriction clause of the national sports policy had now ended. “We have made some necessary amendments to our constitution and informed the PSB about that. We will be going to have the changes ratified from our general council which we plan to convene in May alongside the national championship,” Yaqoob disclosed.
After the amendments, Yaqoob serves as the chairman, while Islamabad’s former Inspector General of Police Iftikhar Ahmad, who was formerly working as PVF vice-president, serves as PVF president.
Shahid Kamal is acting as secretary.
Yaqoob said he was trying to get sponsorship for the national championship. “I am trying to have some sponsors. Coca Cola and Allied Bank have promised and I hope more sponsors will support us,” he said.