Afghanistan’s national volleyball team has been ruled out of the Central Asian Volleyball Championship in Pakistan after team members failed to obtain visas, sports officials announced at a news conference in Kabul. Officials said Uzbekistan was named as Afghanistan’s replacement less than 48 hours after the team was removed from the tournament.
Kabul | By Sara Amiri
Afghanistan’s General Directorate of Physical Education and Sports and the Afghanistan Volleyball Federation have confirmed that the national volleyball team will not participate in the upcoming Central Asian Volleyball Championship in Pakistan after the team’s delegation was unable to obtain visas.
The announcement was made during a press conference held on Tuesday to brief the public and the country’s sporting community on the circumstances surrounding the team’s absence from the regional competition.
Officials said the Afghanistan Volleyball Federation had received an official invitation from the Pakistan Volleyball Federation and that the national team had completed its preparations for the tournament. However, the team was unable to travel after visas were not issued for the delegation.
According to officials, Afghanistan was removed from the list of participating teams in less than 48 hours, with Uzbekistan subsequently named as its replacement.
Mohammad Arif Payman, Deputy for Finance and Administration at the Afghanistan Volleyball Federation, described the failure to issue visas as a disappointing development. He thanked the coaching staff, federation officials and players for their efforts and expressed hope that the national team would have the opportunity to compete successfully in future international tournaments.
Mohammad Fahim Samim, the federation’s Deputy for Technical and Professional Affairs, said the decision came as a shock and noted that the team’s extensive preparations and training had ultimately gone unused because of the travel restrictions.
Hafiz Ahmad Jan Zadran, Deputy Director for Technical and Professional Affairs at the General Directorate of Physical Education and Sports, also described the situation as regrettable. He said the Pakistan Volleyball Federation had sent an official invitation to Afghanistan about a month before the tournament, but the team lost the opportunity to participate after visas were not issued.
Zadran reaffirmed the sports administration’s commitment to supporting Afghan athletes across all disciplines and said it would continue to use available resources to assist national teams.
During the press conference, Afghanistan national volleyball team head coach Asadullah criticized what he described as the influence of politics on sport, saying such actions were inconsistent with Olympic principles and international sporting regulations. He called on the relevant authorities to explain the situation to Afghanistan’s sporting community and the wider international sports community, adding that sport should remain free from political interference.
The Central Asian Volleyball Championship brings together national teams from across the region in an annual competition aimed at strengthening volleyball development and regional cooperation. Afghanistan has regularly participated in regional volleyball events, and the national team had been preparing for this year’s tournament before its withdrawal due to visa-related issues.