Central Asian Volleyball Tournament Relocated from Islamabad to Tashkent
Dubela, Prinona Ghosh: The Central Asian Volleyball Association (CAVA) has relocated the upcoming Central Asian Volleyball Tournament from Islamabad, Pakistan to Tashkent, Uzbekistan as said by an official of Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF) on Saturday. India has withdrawn their participation after the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.
The tournament was originally scheduled to be held in Islamabad on May 28 that is now to be held at Tashkent without any changes in the planned dates. India pulled out of the tournament due to safety concern of the players following by the deadly terror attack. The official said, “It is a huge disappointment for Pakistan volleyball even though India had withdrawn. But we fully understand the CAVA’s General Body’s decision”.
The teams of Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan will go ahead as planned on the same date. The tension between India and Pakistan has grown stronger after the Pahalgam attack where 26 civilians (mostly tourists) were killed impacting sporting engagements.
On April 27, PVF official Abdul Ahad announced India’s withdrawal from the tournament. He also added that the Indian Volleyball officials informed the regional body that the NOC issued for the tournament was cancelled by the Indian government. The shift by the organizers aim to ensure the safety of all participants while maintaining the integrity of scheduled competitions.
