AVC Cup for Men to kick off Thursday in Nakhon Pathom

Only teams finishing top eight from the last year’s Asian Senior Men’s Championship in Tehran, Iran are eligible for the 5th episode, splitting into two pools of four teams apiece. Hosts Thailand, Taiwan, China and Kazakhstan are in Pool A, while Pool B features Ian, Australia, Asian champions Japan and Korea. Actually, Kazakhstan finished ninth at the Asian meet, but received the green light to contest the AVC Cup in Nakhon Pathom in place of Qatar, the fourth place at the Asian Championship but pulled out of the biennial top-flight competition.
The pool round-robin preliminaries of the one-week tournament will be held from September 22 to 24, with current world No.7 Iran, the only Asian side to challenge the world’s elite teams at the last month’s Rio Olympic Games, opening their first clash against Australia ‪at 11.30am‬ local time, followed by the match between Japan and Korea. Thailand, powered by hard-attacking Jirayu Raksakaew, will take on Chinese Taipei, with China challenging Kazakhstan.
The Control Committee, chaired by Mr Yim Hyung Bin, had already inspected the competition venue which was found ready for use. Facilities and infrastructure for all participating teams had also been properly checked, putting the right thing in the right place. Security is also tight as the competition gets set to begin ‪Thursday morning‬.
The General Technical Meeting took place on Wednesday at the Chedi Room, Mida Dhavaravati Grande Hotel in Nakhon Pathom here. CC President Mr Yim Hyung Bin and Mr Somporn Chaibangyang, President of the Thailand Volleyball Association, jointly chaired the meeting, with head coaches from all eight participating teams taking part.
“Everything is ready for the start of the competition. The 5th AVC Cup for Men in Nakhon Pathom will serve as the last major AVC competition of the year. I hope that the tournament will be a a success,” Mr Yim said during the Wednesday’s meeting
Mr Somporn also confirmed the host country’s readiness for the event, saying that the organising committee members hope that all participating teams will stay in Thailand as their second home and promise to do their best in hosting the tournament successfully.
POOL A: 1. Thailand; 2. China; 3. Kazakhstan; 4. Chinese Taipei
POOL B: 1. Japan; 2. Iran; 3. Australia; 4. Korea
MATCH SCHEDULE (all local times)
Thursday, September 22
‪11.30am: Iran v Australia‬
‪2pm: Japan v Korea‬
‪4.30pm: Thailand v Chinese Taipei‬
‪7pm: China v Kazakhstan‬
‪Friday, September 23‬
‪11.30am: Korea v Australia‬
‪2pm: Japan v Iran‬
‪4.30pm: Thailand v China‬
‪7pm: Chinese Taipei v Kazakhstan‬
‪Saturday, September 24‬
‪11.30am: Iran v Korea‬
‪2pm: Australia v Japan‬
‪4.30pm: Thailand v Kazakhstan‬
‪7pm: China v Chinese Taipei‬
‪Sunday, September 25‬
Rest day