Dubai: The coach of the UAE national volleyball team is hoping their participation at next week's 13th Rashid International Volleyball Championships will be part of a huge learning curve for his young side.
"We have done what we could going into a strong competition like the Rashid tournament," Ahmad Zakaria told Gulf News after returning from a quick vacation in his native Egypt yesterday.
The 13th Rashid International Volleyball Tournament, organised by the UAE Volleyball Association (UAEVA) and supported by the Dubai Sports Council (DSC) and sanctioned by the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC), will be played at the Al Shabab Club Hall in Dubai from September 9 to 15. Held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, this annual event will see a top draw of teams from across Asia including China, Australia, Iran, India and Pakistan joining the hosts.
China is the top-most team on the FIVB at No.12, followed by Iran at No.19 and Australia at No. 27.
Traditional rivals India and Pakistan — always a huge draw among spectators for this competition — are placed at 37 and 68 respectively.
"So playing against such top teams is always going to be a learning experience for my team. We have been on a training camp to Europe and then for a tournament in China. And now with this strong tournament we stand a better chance of building on this experience," Zakaria noted.
Berth
While most of the top teams here will be using this competition as a preparation for the 16th Asian Senior Men's Volleyball Championship to be held in Tehran from September 21 to 29, the UAE have their sights on the Gulf Championships in Bahrain next month. Should the UAE end among the top three in Bahrain, they will earn a berth at the Arab Championships in Qatar in December.
