Vietnamese athletes leave for Indonesia for AVC Challenge Cup
A 14-strong team of Vietnam left Hanoi for Indonesia on June 16 to participate in the upcoming 2023 Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Challenge Cup from June 18-25.
The cup is an international competition in Asia and Oceania for unranked senior women's national teams of the members of the Asian Volleyball Confederation, the sport's continent governing body. Its winner will get a berth at the FIVB Women's Challenge Cup.
As one of the 11 squads competing at the tournament, Vietnam will have their first match against Mongolia on June 18.
Among the four groups, Vietnam is in Group D together with Uzbekistan and Mongolia. Hosts Indonesia, Macau and the Philippines are in Group A, while Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei and Iran are drawn in Group B; and India, Australia and Kazakhstan in Group C.
Coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet and his players have been training since May 24 in Quang Ninh province. The team includes all SEA Games silver medalists, with their participation in the cup marking Vietnam’s first appearance at the tournament.
After Indonesia, the team is expected to come to the Republic of Korea for training to join the 19th Asian Games slated for September.