THE 21st Asian Senior Women’s Volleyball Championship to be played here in August will have as venue hosts Pampanga and Subic, Zambales.
The Philippine National Volleyball Federation, Inc. (PNVF) made the announcement on Wednesday after its president, Ramon Suzara, started this week reaching out to pertinent authorities and partnering with them for the staging of the marquee volleyball tournament slated from Aug. 29 to Sept. 5.
Mr. Suzara got the approval of Pampanga Governor Dennis Pineda and Bases Conversion and Development Authority Vice-President Arrey Perez to have their area as one of the hosts.
The PNVF official is also set to meet anew with Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Chairman and Administrator Atty. Wilma Eisma.
Mr. Suzara said that the San Fernando Convention Center will be the main competition venue, while the Subic Gym and Angeles University Foundation Sports and Cultural Center in Pampanga serve as secondary halls.
Local officials, Mr. Suzara said, were very receptive in becoming a host, seeing it as an opportunity to complement their grassroots sports program.
Renovation on the San Fernando Convention Center is currently under way to meet the international volleyball standards. Jiangmen, China, was originally set to host the continental volleyball tournament before deciding to withdraw.
Mr. Suzara said the PNVF took it as an opportunity to step up to the plate to host the event which the Philippines has hosted twice before in 1997 and 2017.
“We [PNVF] saw the opportunity and we grabbed it,” said Mr. Suzara.
The week-long tournament will also serve as a qualifier for next year’s FIVB Women’s World Championship to be hosted by The Netherlands and Poland.
Mr. Suzara said the Philippine team will start preparing for the tournament in June. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
