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       LAHORE: Pakistan’s Under-16 volleyball squad, which made history by winning the Asian title in Thailand, received a grand welcome upon its return here on Sunday night.

       The team was warmly greeted at the airport by Punjab Sports Board director general Khizar Afzal Chaudhry, Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF) chairman Chaudhry Mohammad Yaqoob, PVF president Suhail Khawar Mir and a large number of fans.

       Pakistan won the continental title, beating Iran 3-2 in the final. After losing the first two sets, Pakistan staged a glorious comeback to win the remaining three sets in a row.

       Talking to media, Pakistan team captain Mohammad Irfan said he was thankful to God that the country earned a volleyball gold medal after a long period.

       “It is a great achievement by Pakistan and it also boosted our morale which will help us to prepare better for the U-17 Volleyball World Championship [to be held next year],” he said.

       The U-17 Volleyball World Volleyball Championship will be staged in Doha.

       Irfan reckoned Pakistan volleyball was heading in the right direction.

       “Iran was a strong team which gave us maximum resistance. Therefore, winning against them is a prominent achievement and shows our youth development programme is running in the right direction,” the skipper said.

       “Our coaches [also] worked really hard and I think credit [for winning the Asian U-16 title] should go to them as well.”

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       Speaking on the occasion, Yaqoob said that the unwavering support of Pakistan Army Sports Directorate was pivotal in preparing the national U-16 team.

       “Our U-16 team has made the entire nation proud. These young athletes are exceptionally talented. We are already preparing for the U-17 World Championship and we hope all stakeholders will contribute towards raising Pakistan’s flag even higher in [international] volleyball,” he added.

       It may be mentioned here that the Pakistan Sports Board has already announced a cash prize of Rs8.2 million for the national U-16 team for winning the Asian title.

       UNDER-19 TEAM DEPARTS

       On Monday, the national under-19 team departed for Tashkent to compete in the in the FIVB Boys’ Under-19 World Championship.

       Twenty-four countries are participating in the July 24-Aug 3 event. Pakistan have been drawn in Group ‘A’ alongside Belgium, hosts Uzbekistan, Turkey and Puerto Rico.

       Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, Finland, France, Iran, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Poland, Spain, Tunisia and the US are the other nations participating in the event.

       Pakistan open their campaign against Belgium on Thursday, followed by the match against Uzbekistan on Friday. Pakistan in their third match face Turkey on Saturday before concluding their group stage against Puerto Rico on July 28.

       Speaking on the occasion, PVF chief Sohail stated: “Our U-19 team is a symbol of hard work and growth Pakistan volleyball has seen in recent years. Competing in the world championship is a dream for many and this team will carry the flag with pride, discipline and resilience.”

       Squad: Mohammad Yahya,Tayyab Khan, Jibran, Mohammad Hassan, Mohammad Saud, Muhtad Ali Shah, Ajmal Junaid, Muhammad Irfan, Javed Ahmad, Talal Ahmad, Abu Bakar Siddique, Khizar Hayat; Head coach: Saeed Ahmed Khan Sady; Assistant coaches: Ehsan Iqbal and Mohammad Suleman Amin; Physiotherapist: Mohammad Salman; Team Manager: Mazhar Fareed; Head of the delegation: Mohammad Yaqoob.

       Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2025