India, Afghanistan confirm participation in Central Asian volleyball championship in Lahore

LAHORE: India and Afghanistan have confirmed their participation in the eight-nation Central Asian Men’s Volleyball Championship, which is scheduled to be held in Lahore from July 3 to 10, Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF) chairman Chaudhry Mohammad Yaqoob said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a press conference in Lahore, Yaqoob said the federation had sent both countries’ confirmations to the foreign ministry so that visas for their squads could be issued in time.

"Under the IOC Charter, sports should remain separate from political affairs," Yaqoob said, adding that if Iran could travel to the United States for the FIFA World Cup, there should be no issue for India and Afghanistan to compete in Pakistan.

According to the PVF chairman, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives and Nepal have also confirmed participation in the championship. He added that Iran and Uzbekistan are expected to join the event in the coming days.

Yaqoob described the championship as a recognised world ranking event and said it would offer ranking points to the participating teams while also giving Pakistan a chance to demonstrate its organisational capacity.

Domestic and international calendar announced

The PVF also unveiled a packed domestic and international schedule for 2026, including the first National Volleyball League, which will be staged in Lahore from July 19 to Aug 5. "Six franchise teams, each featuring two foreign players, will participate in the league," Yaqoob said.

He also highlighted Pakistan’s recent progress in volleyball, saying the national Under-16 team won a gold medal last year and qualified for the Under-17 World Championship, which will be held in Doha from Aug 19 to 29. A training camp for the team is already under way in Islamabad.

He said 24 countries, including Brazil, Iran, Italy, Japan, Poland, Turkiye and the United States, will take part in that event.

Pakistan is also due to compete in the Asian U-18 Volleyball Championship in Bahrain from July 12 to 18, while the senior team is set to appear in the Asian Games in Japan later this year.

Meanwhile, the 55th National Men’s Volleyball Championship will be held in Wah Cantonment from May 19 to 23, with 16 departmental and provincial teams participating.

PVF chief criticises PSB support and NOC delays

Yaqoob criticised the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), saying it had failed to support the Under-16 team despite its qualification for the world championship.

"The PSB refused to hold the training camp, which required around Rs2 million per month, forcing the federation to arrange it from its own resources," he said.

According to Yaqoob, Inter-Provincial Coordination secretary Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani told him that the PSB had only Rs2 million available, even though the camp required the same amount every month.

"Every year PSB funds lapse, while federations lacking sponsorship and adequate grants struggle to participate in international events and organise domestic competitions," he added.

Yaqoob also said the federation still did not have a dedicated volleyball gymnasium under its control. He said funds allocated by the Punjab Sports Board two years ago for such a facility had lapsed because land was not available.

The PVF chairman further criticised delays in the issuance of no-objection certificates by the PSB for participation in international events.

"Federations are autonomous bodies under the IOC Charter, but despite that they are required to obtain NOCs from the government without any defined timeframe," he said.

He said federations usually have to confirm participation in international competitions several months in advance and therefore need timely clearance from the authorities. "If a federation does not receive an NOC at least 15 days before departure, it becomes difficult to organise training camps and make travel arrangements," he said.

Yaqoob said the PVF had suffered losses of Rs66 million and was fined $30,000 by the International Volleyball Federation after Pakistan failed to participate in an event in Chinese Taipei last year despite confirming entry and purchasing tickets.

"The government refused to issue the NOC over objections regarding the venue, even though China itself participated in that event," he added.