The 2007 VTV Women’s Volleyball Cup begins tomorrow at Ho Chi Minh City’s Phan Dinh Phung Stadium and will finish on May 19.
Since Indonesia cannot participate in the competition, the number of teams this year has been reduced to eleven.
Group A will see last year’s runners-up Viet Nam, Myanmar, Philippines, China’s Beihang University and Japan’s Shikoku fight for two of the semifinal berths, while Sri Lanka, Viet Nam’s Binh Dien Long An, the USA’s St. John University, China’s Xhong Cai University, Kazakhstan’s Zetyssu and Thailand’s Banimiwittaya will compete in Group B.
Viet Nam will have to make do without four key players who sustained injuries in recent tournaments, giving several youngsters a golden opportunity to show their mettle in international competition.
“This will be an opportunity for them to gain more experience and practice for the upcoming Southeast Asian Games in Thailand,” echoed Tran Duc Phan from the local Good Achievements Committee.
He added that the national squad would receive a US$1,000 bonus for each win in the qualifying games, and US$2,500 for advancing to the semifinals.
Five games will be held every day starting at noon. Admission to the stadium is VND30,000, or roughly two bucks.
