Vietnamese players seen celebrating their win over Chinese Taipei at the Asian Volleyball Cup on August 26 in the Philippines. Vietnam will play in the ASEAN Grand Prix from September 9-11 in Thailand. (Photo thethao247.vn)Later, hosts and reigning champions Thailand will face the Philippines.
The Grand Prix is an international women’s volleyball tournament in SoutheastAsia that is contested by four member national teams of the Southeast AsianVolleyball Association (SEAZVA) – the sport’s regional governing body under theAsian Volleyball Confederation (AVC).
The four-side event promotes women’s volleyball in the region and helps eachteam sharpen their skills to achieve greater heights and prepare themselves formajor competitions.
Thailand, the current world No 14, are favourites to defend the title. Theywill represent the region at the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship inPoland and the Netherlands from September 23 to October 16.
All four teams arrived in the host province on September 7.
They will compete in a round-robin format until Sunday at Korat Chatchai Hallinside the Chalerm Phrakiat Stadium in the northeastern city.
“Nakhon Ratchasima has been entrusted by Thailand Volleyball Association (TVA)with hosting the three-day event again because the province has proven itselfcapable of hosting major events, including the inaugural tournament in2019," said TVA President Somporn Chaibangyang.
"As the organisers, we have firmly set our sights on making the secondASEAN Grand Prix another success without the spread of COVID-19. We will do ourbest to impress all participating teams and visitors and show the potential ofThailand through the significant success of hosting this event.”
On Nakhon Ratchasima’s preparations, Deputy Governor Charin Thongsuk, said:“With great experience in organising several major competitions, we areconvinced that we can host the second ASEAN Grand Prix while complying withrules and regulations set by AVC and FIVB.
"We are ready to welcome all participating teams and officials as alwayswith hospitality and enthusiasm and make this feel like their second home. Inaddition, we’ve also prepared local officials and working staff to help withrelevant preparation tasks. At the same time, the competition and trainingvenues, boarding and lodging and transportation are also 100% ready forservice."
Vietnam finished last in the inaugural edition three years ago.
However, they finished second at the May SEA Games and fourth at the AsianWomen's Volleyball Cup last month, giving a boost to the team led by coach NguyenTuan Kiet.
"My players are in good spirits and ready for the tournament," said Kiet.
"We talked together and agreed that we will play our best on the court,although we may have fitness problems after working hard at the Asian Cup latelast month," he said.
Vietnam will play their second match facing the Philippines on September 10 andThailand on September 11 in the third clash.
The winning team will receive 25,000 USD, though second, third and fourthplaces also take home 20,000 USD, 15,000 USD and 10,000 USD, respectively.
This year, the organisers also launched the first tournament for the men'steams with the same format and bonus.
The Philippines and Indonesia will host two legs of the tournament, althoughorganisers have not yet released more details.
Vietnam has not yet confirmed their participation./.
VNA
