Songkhla, Thailand, April 13, 2023 – The General Technical Meeting of the “Est Cola” AVC Beach Tour 22nd Samila Open from April 14 to 17 was held at the BP Samila Beach Hotel here on Thursday, with Thailand Volleyball Association President Mr Somporn Chaibangyang presiding and determined players from 12 countries actively attending.
Also in attendance were newly-appointed TVA Secretary General Mr Nattapong Kesapan, Technical Delegate Mr Kritsada Panaseri from Thailand and Referee Delegate Mr Jayaraman Srinivasan from India. As Mr Somporn delivered a welcome speech, Mr Kritsada and Mr Srinivasan explained all participating teams the rules and regulations of the tournament and related technical matters.
Players strutting their stuff at the Samila Beach, a white sand beach in this popular tourist town, in the four-day event consist of China, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Hong Kong China, Malaysia, Singapore, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Vanuatu and hosts Thailand.
In both men’s and women’s events, all participating teams were similarly split into 8 pools comprising Pools A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H with 4 teams apiece in each pool. Teams will play pool round-robin preliminaries between April 14 and 15, with only top two teams from each pool through to the round of last 16. Quarterfinals and semifinals in both events will take place on April 16, with the third-place playoffs and final showdowns being held the following day (April 17).
During the General Technical Meeting on Thursday, all participating teams had also been informed of team seedings, pool plays and match schedule.
However, to make sure all is set and on the right track ahead of the official kickoff on Friday, the Referee Clinic was conducted on Thursday, with all referees, line judges, court assistants, scorers and working staff best-prepared for their clear duties and responsibilities in this topflight event.
This year, the AVC Beach Tour 22nd Samila Open has attracted big names including Chinese second seeds Ha Likejiang/Wu Jiaxin, who last month captured the men’s title at the season’s first Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Futures event at Mount Maunganui Beach, the first-ever world-level tournament hosted by New Zealand.
Early this month, the Chinese duo also claimed gold in Coolangatta, Australia following their solid 2-0 victory against Thailand’s Pithak Tipjan and Poravid Taovato in the final…
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