Bahrain steps up preparations for Asian junior volleyball

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain has stepped up its preparations to host the 21st Asian Men’s U20 Volleyball Championship, taking place this August 22 to 29.. The competition is set to feature 18 junior national teams from all across the continent. Matches will be held at the Isa bin Rashid Volleyball Arena as well as at the Bahrain Table Tennis Association hall, both located at Isa Sports City in Riffa.

Bahrain Volleyball Association (BVA) president Shaikh Ali bin Mohammed Al Khalifa has approved the heads and members of the tournament’s working committees. This came at a meeting of the BVA board of directors, during which the preparations for the championship were discussed. Shaikh Ali is also head of the competition’s supreme organising committee, while BVA secretary general Feras Helwachi is the executive committee chairman.

Bahrain have been drawn in Pool A for the competition’s preliminary round alongside Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia. Pool B features Iran, Japan and India; Pool C includes South Korea, Qatar and Kuwait; Pool D consists of Thailand, Kazakhstan and the UAE; Pool E features Iraq, Australia and Bangladesh and Pool F comprises China, Taipei and Pakistan. Bahrain’s junior national volleyball team have begun gearing up for the competition.

They are currently in Slovenia for an overseas training camp until Thursday. As part of the lead-up to the Asian championship, the Bahrainis are set to compete in the West Asian Junior Volleyball Championship, to be held in Saudi Arabia, from July 20 to 30.

The juniors are coached by Tunisian tactician Saber Abdulwahed. The Bahrainis are at their camp with a 12-player squad that includes Hussain Ali, Redha Matrook, Ali Al Bosta, Hassan Al Warqa, Sayed Hashem Issa, Ali Hussain, Ali Habib, Sadeq Marhoon, Sayed Ahmed Murtadha, Hussain Abdulredha, Hassan Aliwi and Abbas Ihsan.

This year’s Asian under-20 event will be the third time Bahrain is hosting. The Kingdom previously also staged the tournament in 2014 and 2018. The nationals are competing in the championship for the 12th time in its history. They first played in the 1984 edition, held in Saudi Arabia.

The Bahrainis’ best finish was fourth in 2014, when the hosts narrowly missed out on the bronze medal following a loss to South Korea in the game for third place. Bahrain have also finished sixth three times in 1984, 1988 and 2002. In the previous edition in 2018, the Bahrainis almost made it to the quarter-finals, but suffered a heartbreaking five-set loss to Australia in the Round of 16.