Teams start training at the main competition venue in University of Taipei (Hall 1)
The 2023 AVC Challenge Cup for Men is set to kick off at University of Taipei (Hall 1) and Taipei Gymnasium (Hall 2) in Chinese Taipei on July 8, with 15 strong teams vying for top honor and the lone berth for the 2023 edition of the FIVB Volleyball Challenger Cup in Qatar later this month.
A total of 8 teams will strut their stuff in the FIVB Volleyball Challenger Cup in Doha between July 26 and 30, 2023. Chile, Dominican Republic, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine and hosts Qatar have already qualified, while the last two teams to join the fray comprise the eventual winners from the 2023 AVC Challenge Cup in Chinese Taipei and the lowest-ranked Challenger team of the current edition of the VNL. The winner of the 2023 VCC shall be promoted and compete in the 2024 edition of the Volleyball Nations League.
Regarding the 2023 AVC Challenge Cup for Men, its fourth edition, in Taipei, Chinese Taipei between July 8 to 15, participating teams had been divided into six pools. Hosts Chinese Taipei and Kazakhstan are in Pool A, with Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Korea in Pool B. Pool C features India and Hong Kong, China (Uzbekistan withdrew). Mongolia joined Philippines and Macao China in Pool D, while Pool E consists of Australia and Vietnam (Pakistan pulled out of the tournament some days ahead of the kickoff). Pool F comprises Bahrain, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
Teams will contest the pool round-robin preliminaries, with the top two teams from each pool advancing. The third-ranked teams from each pool will be next assigned in Pool G, playing for 13th-17th places. A drawing of lots will be conducted to decide the numbers from G1 to G5. Teams finishing second in each pool will also have a drawing of lots to pair with the first-ranked teams in each pool.
On Saturday, July 8, the first day of the topflight tournament, Korea, host and third place at the 2022 VCC, are set to take on Thailand in the opening clash at University of Taipei Hall.
This time, current world No.33 Korea are strengthened by five key players who joined the team at the last year’s VCC including hard-hitting Heo Subong, who was the best spiker on 54 kills in the 2022 VCC, while veteran Kissada Nilsawai, Napadet Bhinijdee and Mawin Maneewong are the mainstays of world No.60 Thailand.
The second match at this competition venue will be another thrilling clash between consecutive three-time South East Asian (SEA) Games…
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