New volleyball headquarters get nod from Asia chief
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The Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) vice president Essa Hamza Ahmad has visited the new AVC headquarters ahead of its official opening on December 2.
After inspecting the office at the newly constructed 25-storey Sports Authority of Thailand building at the Hua Mark Sports Complex, the Kuwaiti held an ad-hoc meeting with staff. Shanrit Wongprasert, honorary president of the Thailand Volleyball Association and a member of FIVB Board of Administration, briefed him about the work.
Expressing his satisfaction over the shift from Beijing to Thailand, Essa Hamza said the future of volleyball was Asia. “From the beginning, no one thought the headquarters would be shifted out of Beijing. I supported the move to Thailand rather than Japan or to Saudi Arabia. We all see the future of volleyball is in Asia and therefore, the shift to Thailand was the right thing. Thailand’s two medals in the Incheon Games volleyball were proof that development of the sport can start here in Thailand.
“Second, Thailand is regarded as a hub in Asia, where we can come and go conveniently. Third, Thai people love sports, and volleyball in particular. Whenever an international volleyball competition is held, venues are packed to capacity with die-hard fans. This assures me that the popularity of volleyball will grow quickly in Thailand and Asia alike,” said Essa Hamza.
“In terms of the work here, I believe it is going to be a daunting task. When the AVC headquarters was set up in Beijing in 1997, the staff faced many obstacles. Undoubtedly, those working in Thailand will face a similar situation. So, my advice is, don’t suffer problems, but have the courage to face and solve them successfully.”
FIVB president Ary S Graca and AVC president Saleh Bin Nasser will oversee the official opening, which will be attended by Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Minister, the SAT Governor and around 100 VIPs.
Meanwhile, the TVA became the first Thai sports association to celebrate its players’ success in the Incheon Games. The victory celebrations were conducted in a hurry because national players Onuma Sittirak and Nootsara Tomkom had a date with their clubs in professional leagues in Japan and Azerbaijan respectively.
The association and sponsors handed cash bonuses to the players. Thailand claimed a silver in the women’s beach volleyball and a historic bronze medal in the women’s indoor volleyball in Incheon.
Chang-makers Thai Beverage congratulated the spikers for bringing happiness to Thai people. ThaiBev presented Bt500,000 apiece to the women’s beach and indoor volleyball teams and Bt1 million to the TVA.
