Volleyball
Indian volleyball team pulls out of Central Asian Volleyball Championship
The tournament is scheduled to take place in Islamabad from May 28-June 4.
Indian women's volleyball team will play Hong Kong in their opening match on June 8.
The Indian volleyball team has pulled out weeks after confirming their participation in the upcoming Central Asian Volleyball Championship (CAVC) scheduled to take place from May 28 to June 4 at the Liaquat Gymnasium in Islamabad.
The Volleyball Federation of India (VFI) withdrew its 30-member contingent including 22 players and eight support staff.
The move has come as an aftermatch of the recent Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 which killed 26 innocent civilians and tension started brewing between the two nations.
So far, only four countries have confirmed their participation for the championship. CAVC is a regional competition within the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC).
In the 2024 edition, six teams had participated including hosts Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. Pakistan went on to win the title defeating Turkmenistan in the final. Meanwhile, India did not participate in the previous edition too.
Indian team did not feature in any tournaments post 2023 due to internal dispute in the VFI.
The Pakistan men's team, however, is ranked 46 in the world.
