Dubai set for Under 23 world volleyball

Dubai - The UAE squad will begin their campaign against Euro giants Italy on the opening night.

When the second edition of the FIVB Volleyball Men's Under 23 World Championship gets going in Dubai at the Al Nasr and Al Wasl indoor stadia from August 24-31, it will be the second time that a youth event conducted by the world body will be held in the city after the U19 World Championship in 1989.
The UAE squad, now training in Serbia, will begin their campaign against Euro giants Italy on the opening night.
Yousuf Al Mulla, president of the UAE Volleyball Association (UAEVA), told media: "We are looking forward to the rich experience the players will gain from a major youth world tournament of such kind. Under 23 is just a step away for most players today to step into at least the bench strength of national sides the world over."
In the first edition in 2013, hosts Brazil edged Serbia 3-2 in a nail-biting summit clash while Russia defeated Bulgaria 3-1 in the bronze playoff. Champions Brazil will be here with a different side altogether, more of an experimental side which will be the nucleus of their squads for the world championships and Super Leagues this season.
The 12-team championship sees the sides split into two pools with Group A where Argentina is the top rated side this time. Brazil, Egypt, Italy, South Korea and the UAE are the rest of the squads here.
Group B will have traditionally strong Cuba, Iran, Mexico, Russia, Tunisia, and Turkey fight out for the top two places for a semifinal entry. The Russians, European age group giants, start with a 2.30pm fixture on August 24 against in the group.
Most of the sides travelling to Dubai will have fresh below the age of 22 of which the Argentines were the first to confirm their participation with the UAE Volleyball Federation. "We have confirmation from Argentina which means in a couple of days, the rest of the 11 sides will be filing their contingents," said a senior official of the organising committee.
Argentina, seventh in the inaugural edition have a tough path with even outsiders like South Korea and Egypt are seasoned campaigners, going by the form shown in different age group events recently.
For Iran, the powerhouses of Asian volleyball in the senior and youth events, will have the strongest crowd support here in Dubai, a routine matter when any Iranian national side takes up assignments in the city. Iran take on Tunisia in the opening match at 12pm on August 24.
They have the powerful Russians and Cuba as the main contenders in the pool while underdogs Mexico, African champions Tunisia and Turkey will be no pushovers either.
The league cum knockout tourney has the standard format of the top two teams in each pool progressing to the semifinals. The third and fourth-placed sides in the two pools will go in for a playoff for fifth to eighth places.
Earlier this year, FIVB official Shanrit Wongprasert of Thailand and Al Mulla jointly conducted an inspection of the facilities for the event which is being fully backed by the various government organisations in the Emirate.
moni@khaleejtimes.com