Bangkok, Thailand, May 22, 2020 – AVC has planned to organise its 23rd General Assembly in coming October, as hosts, participating teams and AVC TV Media Partner have geared up for all 2020 AVC Championships on condition that the Covid19 situation starts getting back to normality within June.
The 23rd AVC General Assembly was first due to be held in Bangkok in June, but has to be postponed in accordance with the new dates for the FIVB World Congress, which was rescheduled for January 27-29, 2021 in Phuket, Thailand. Taking the FIVB’s timeline into consideration for further decision, AVC has planned to hold the 23rd edition of its General Assembly in October 2020. The new dates for the biennial meeting have been set to be officially confirmed as soon as the Covid19 situation returns to normal, with Asian countries lifting their lockdown restrictions and airports and transportation solutions implemented to ensure continuity of service.
To make sure that staging all 2020 AVC Championships remains on the right track, AVC has recently circulated its letter to all affiliated National Federations, presenting its two Options, which have already been approved by AVC Board of Administration Members and showed possibility and probability for AVC to organise 2020 AVC Championships amid growing Coronavirus 2019 Disease (Covid19) outbreak.
In Option 1, if the Covid-19 situation improves dramatically within the end of June 2020, AVC needs either 2 or 2 and a half months for keeping a tight grip on coordinating with host countries, participating teams and AVC TV Media Partner in preparation for organisation of the Championships.
For volleyball in particular, AVC has less than two months to complete eight Championships ahead of the 2020-2021 National League season.
In the light of Covid19 pandemic, the continental governing body can organise 2020 AVC Championships and relevant competitions from last week of August or early September until the second week of October 2020.
Four AVC Championships abided by TV Partner and New Media contracts – Asian Men’s and Women’s Clubs Championships and AVC Cup for Men and Women – must be finished within September or the first week of October at the latest.
The other Championships without a landmark television agreement with TV Media Partner comprise AVC Challenge Cup for Men and Women, Asian Men’s U20 and Asian Women’s U19 Championships and Asian Men’s U18 and Asian Women’s U17 Championships.
The AVC Challenge Cup for Men and Women and the Asian Men’s U20 and Asian Women’s U19 Championships, which serve as the qualification tournaments for the FIVB Men’s U21 and Women’s U20 World Championships, can be held at the same period (from September to the first week of October), while the Asian Men’s U18 and Asian Women’s U17 Championships, the qualification tournaments for the FIVB Men’s U19 and Women’s U18 World Championships, can take place in September until December.
Regarding beach volleyball, the AVC Continental Cup Semi-Finals (Phase 2) and Finals (Phase 3) were postponed. However, as the FIVB has already confirmed that all the Continental Cup SemiFinals and Finals shall take place by no later than May 2, 2021, the AVC Continental Cup Semi-Finals and Finals, therefore, should be held ahead of the afore-mentioned date in order that the qualified teams will have enough time to prepare themselves for the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games between July 23 and August 8, 2021.
Meanwhile, the Asian U19 Beach Volleyball Championships are due to be organised from last week of August and the other Asian Beach Volleyball Tours will also kick off from September 2020. However, AVC will confirm competition regulations with host federations within coming June.
In terms of the other AVC Zonal Championships, each zone can make decisions on their own but shall inform AVC to include relevant competition information to the revised 2020 AVC Competition Calendar.
Nevertheless, the AVC Competition Calendar can be modified in accordance with availability of the host federations but shall be organized at the above-mentioned period and agreed among AVC, TV Media Partner and organizers. AVC will reconfirm the Competition Calendar at the beginning of July 2020.
In Option 2, unless the Covid19 outbreak can be easily predicted, with the crisis continuing until the end of July 2020, making AVC Championships unable to go ahead as planned, AVC has decided to cancel all 2020 AVC Championships and relevant competitions because the 2020-2021 National League season will start from October 15, 2020.
Instead, AVC will try to organise the Underage Championships (Women’s U18, Men’s U19, Women’s U20 and Men’s U21) during January and February 2021 in order that the Asian qualified teams can be decided ahead of the FIVB Underage World Championships later next year.
TENTATIVE DRAFT OF REVISED 2020 AVC COMPETITION CALENDAR (OPTION 1)
Aug 26-29: Asian U19 Beach Volleyball Championships in Phuket, Thailand
Aug 30-Sep 6: 2020 Asian Men’s Club Volleyball Championship in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand
Aug 30-Sep 6: 20th Asian Women’s U19 Volleyball Championship in Chongqing, China
Sep 10-17: 2020 Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship in Tianjin, China
Sep 10-17: 20th Asian Men’s U20 Volleyball Championship in Tehran, Iran
Sep 19-22: AVC Beach Volleyball Tour Samila Open (M and W) in Songkhla, Thailand
Sep 21-28: 2020 AVC Cup for Men in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar
Sep 21-28: 2nd AVC Challenge Cup for Women (TBD)
Oct 1-8: 2020 AVC Cup for Women in Yunlin, Chinese Taipei
Oct 3-10: 2nd AVC Challenge Cup for Men in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan
Oct 14-18: AVC Beach Volleyball Tour Penghu Open (M and W) in Penghu Island, Chinese Taipei
Oct 24-28: AVC Women’s Beach Volleyball Tour in Can Tho, Vietnam
Nov 1-8 (or Feb 2021): 13th Asian Women’s U17 Volleyball Championship in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
Nov 10-15: 2020 FIVB U19 Beach Volleyball World Championships in Roi Et, Thailand
Nov 15-22 (or Feb 2021): 13th Asian Men’s U18 Volleyball Championship (TBD)
Nov 26-Dec 5: 6th Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China
Related links of AVC
AVC Website: click www.asianvolleyball.net
AVC Facebook: click www.Facebook.com/AsianVolleyballConfederation
AVC Twitter: click: https://twitter.com/avcvolley
AVC Instagram: click: https://www.instagram.com/avcvolley/?hl=en
AVC Youtube: click: Asian Volleyball Confederation
AVC WeChat: Asian Volleyball Confederation