The Philippines secured a major boost to its volleyball program after both the Alas Pilipinas men’s and women’s national teams officially qualified for the indoor volleyball competition of the Nagoya-Aichi 20th Asian Games this September.
The qualification marks the country’s return to the continental stage in both divisions, with the national squads earning their spots through their respective rankings in Asia, according to Philippine Olympic Committee president Bambol Tolentino on Monday.
“This is great news for our volleyball program,” said Tolentino, revealing that the POC received confirmation from the Asian Volleyball Confederation over the weekend regarding the country’s qualification for the Asian Games.
The Alas Women secured their berth as the No. 10-ranked team in Asia in the FIVB rankings, while the Alas Men punched their ticket as the continent’s No. 15 squad.
A total of 16 teams each will compete in the men’s and women’s indoor volleyball tournaments, which will be held in Aichi Prefecture from September 27 to October 3.
Joining the Philippines in the men’s competition are Japan, Iran, Pakistan, South Korea, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Qatar, Bahrain, Chinese Taipei, India, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Hong Kong.
(C) POC Media
The women’s field includes Japan, Kazakhstan, Iran, China, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Vietnam, Qatar, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, India, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Mongolia, and North Korea.
AVC president Tats Suzara personally confirmed the development to Tolentino. The POC is expected to serve as the caretaker of the country’s volleyball affairs following the FIVB’s suspension of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation.
The indoor teams’ qualification completes the Philippines’ entries in volleyball for the Asian Games after the national beach volleyball squads also earned spots in the 12-country tournament. Leading the charge are Bangkok 2025 Southeast Asian Games champions Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons.
The Philippine beach volleyball teams will face opponents from China, Japan, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Iran, Kazakhstan, Qatar, and Oman at the Hekinan Ryokuchi Beach Court in Hekinan City.
The POC is expected to field at least 700 athletes in the Asian Games, with Tolentino hopeful that the Philippine delegation can still add qualifiers in esports, modern pentathlon, and taekwondo’s kyorugi events.
