Urmia, Iran, August 21, 2023 – The Final 12 in the 22nd Asian Senior Men’s Volleyball Championship is complete. The field that will be further contending for the coveted crown was confirmed Monday evening following an exciting last day of pool play in Urmia, Iran.
Eight teams had already secured their berths the night before comprising defending and consecutive two-time champions and hosts Iran, Japan, Qatar, Chinese Taipei, Iraq, Korea, Pakistan and Bahrain. Joining them in the competition’s next phase are China, Indonesia, Thailand and India.
Action in the Final 12 will be held Wednesday, with the pairings determined by a draw held late Monday night at the competition venue, pitting the six pool winners against the six runners-up.
Pool A table-toppers Iran will take on Pakistan, while Pool B winners Japan will face Bahrain. China, first place in Pool C, will lock horns with India, while Pool D top-placers Chinese Taipei will battle against Iraq. Pool E winners Qatar will play Thailand, while Pool F victors Korea will take on Indonesia to wrap up the Final 12 match-ups.
As per the tournament format, the winners of the Iran-Pakistan and Japan-Bahrain contests will advance directly to Friday’s semi-finals, while the four other victors from the Final 12 will face off in the quarterfinals on Thursday, in order to decide the other two berths in the last four.
The gold and bronze medal games will be held on Saturday, the concluding day of the championship, along with the other final classification contests.
The Iranians were once again the top draw in Monday’s five-match programme at Al Ghadir Hall’s two playing courts.
They marched through as Pool A winners following a resounding come-from-behind 3-1 (19-25, 25-12, 25-15, 25-14) victory against Iraq, rewarding their thousands of loyal supporters who packed the arena and provided their team a fantastic boost.
Opposite spiker Amin Esmaeilnezhad had 16 points to spearhead the Iranians, four of which came on service winners, while middle blocker Mohammad Valizadeh contributed 11, including six on blocks. Iraq’s opposite spiker Hussein Nameer Shamil Kamoona had 10 markers to pace his team, while middle blocker Islam Sachit Challab Matrawi finished with eight.
China scraped through to the next stage as Pool C winners following a hard-earned 3-2 (20-25, 25-17, 22-25, 25-17, 15-12) triumph over Kazakhstan.
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