LAHORE, Aug 5: Asian Volleyball Federation (AVF) president will visit Pakistan next month to review the security arrangements personally, before taking any decision of hosting the Asian Senior championship in Pakistan in Sept 2003.

Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF) president Chaudhary Muhammad Yaqoob disclosed Monday that the AVF president Mr Wui who is from China took the decision after some member countries expressed their apprehension about security concerns at the last meeting held in Jakarta, Indonesia.

AVF had allotted the championship to Pakistan but now a fresh decision would be taken after Wui’s visit Yaqoob said.

He went on to add that AVF boss would visit Pakistan before going to Argentine where the World Congress meeting was scheduled to be held on Sept 22 and 23.

Yaqoob pointed out the AVF chief had favoured Pakistan by not taking a decision in haste in Jakarta and decided to look into matters personally before reaching a decision.

Pakistan is to hold the senior championship in Islamabad.

Yaqoob said that it was a great honour for Pakistan to host this event after staging the Asian junior championship in Islamabad last year. He said that so far a big country like India could not stage any AVF competition.

An alternate venue has not been decided by the AVF yet, Yaqoob said explaining that Pakistan got the allotment of the Asian Senior competition through a bid after beating

Iran.

Pakistan would take part in the Asian junior championship which will be held in Tehran, Iran from Sept 10 to 17. The senior team, he added, was to participate in the Asian Games which are scheduled to be held in Busan, South Korea from Sept 30 to Oct 14.

Yaqoob said that to give international exposure to the junior team, the PVF had two options either to host Thailand or China or reach Tehran 10 days before the start of the competition. He said that invitations had been extended to Thailand and China but their response had not been received.

The juniors are undergoing training at Wah Cantt for the last four months in which 20 probables are being imparted training under Ukrainian coach Faydal.

Seven senior probables to pick the team for Asiad have also been invited. The team for the Asian Games would be picked from the junior and senior lots, he added.

Yaqoob further stated that the IOC Solidarity course would be held in Islamabad from Nov 14 to 23 for which The International Volleyball Federation would appoint a course conductor.

Elaborating the PVF schedule, Yaqoob said that it would hold the national championship, Punjab’s Governor Cup and national inter-club championship this year.