Bahrain set for Japan challenge

TDT | Manama    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain take on continental giants Japan today in the Final 12 of the 22nd Asian Senior Men’s Volleyball Championship, being held in Urmia, Iran.

The elimination game is scheduled for a 12.45pm start, Bahrain time.

The winner will move directly to Friday’s semi-final stage and bypass tomorrow’s quarters, according to tournament rules.

The Bahrainis made it through to this round as runners-up from Pool D, having lost their only game of the preliminaries to Chinese-Taipei.

Japan, the silver-medallists from the Asian championship’s previous edition in 2021, swept their two games in Pool B and advanced as group winners.

The pairing was determined in a draw conducted by the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) following the completion of pool play, pitting the preliminaries’ six pool winners against the six second-placers.

The other match-ups in the Final 12 will see Pool A table-toppers and two-time defending champions Iran take on Pakistan, also for an automatic berth in the semis.

China, first place in Pool C, will lock horns with India, while Pool D top-placers Chinese-Taipei will battle Iraq.

Pool E winners Qatar will play Thailand in the Final 12, while Pool F victors Korea will take on Indonesia.

The winners of these matches will face off in the quarter-finals.

This is per the tournament format, wherein the winners of the Iran-Pakistan and Bahrain-Japan contests go through to the last four, while the remaining victorious quartet from the Final 12 will face off to decide the other two semi-final berths.

The gold and bronze medal games will be held on Saturday, the concluding day of the championship.

Aside from the Final 12, classification games to determine the 13th to 17th rankings will also be held featuring Hong Kong, China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

Bahrain, coached by Ruben Adrian Wolochin from Argentina, are competing in Urmia with a 14-player squad that includes Mohammed Yaqoob, Ali Ebrahim, Ayman Haroona, Mahmood Al Afia, Ali Habib, Nasser Anan, Mahmood Abdulhussain, Mahmoud Abdulwahed, Abbas Al Khabbaz, Mohammed Jassim and Hani Ali.

Bahrain have never won a medal in the Asian men’s championship. This year’s tournament marks their 11th appearance, with their best finish coming in 1987 when they were eighth amongst 17 teams.