After a remarkable debut at the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship 2022, Qatar sets its sights on first Volleyball Nations League appearance
Qatar, renowned for its success in men’s beach volleyball following a historic bronze medal at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, is now making strides to become a top indoor volleyball nation with the support of the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment programme.
Last year, the men’s national team qualified for the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship 2022 for the first time in history, and is now determined to join some of the world’s strongest teams at the Volleyball Nations League (VNL).
Qatar’s maiden appearance on the global stage at the Men’s World Championship was a momentous milestone for the fast-improving squad. Much credit goes to the exceptional work of Argentine Coach Camilo Andres Soto who has transformed Qatar’s volleyball programme and instilled a culture of dreaming big. The appetite of the Qatari national team to participate in more high-level world-class event is evident as the country is now set to host this year’s FIVB Men’s Volleyball Challenger Cup (VCC) in Doha from 27 to 30 July 2023.
Seconded to Qatar through the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment programme, Camilo guided Qatar to a historic fifth place finish at the 2021 Asian Championship, propelling them into the top 24 bracket in the FIVB World Ranking. This achievement earned them a well-deserved ticket to the FIVB Volleyball World Championship 2022 as one of the 12 highest-ranked teams not yet qualified for the event.
Argentine coach Camilo Andres Soto has been credited with the rise of Qatar national team
According to Qatar Volleyball Association (QVA) President Ali Ghanem Al-Kuwari, Qatar’s presence on the global stage was once considered a pipe dream. However, the FIVB’s investment of 108,000 CHF via Volleyball Empowerment, coupled with the selection of Camilo to lead the team, has turned that dream into reality.
As a former national team player himself, Al-Kuwari believes that Qatar’s World Championship debut will inspire the men’s team as they set their sights on qualifying for the Volleyball Nations League 2024 and Olympic Games Paris 2024 for the first time in history.
Qatar has been placed in Pool A of the Paris 2024 Olympic Qualification tournament, scheduled from September 30 to October 8 2023 in Brazil. They will contend for the two automatic Olympic qualification places on offer with Brazil, Italy, Iran, Cuba, Ukraine, Germany and Czechia.
Qatar won a set against Cuba despite losing 3-1 during the 2022 FIVB World Championship
“We might have lost all our matches (at the World Championship) but our performance was really encouraging. Pushing Brazil to 25-23, 26-24 was a commendable feat. We also managed to get a set from Cuba which shows that the future of this team is bright.
“The World Championship was an eye opener and the boys now believe they can compete with the best. Our target is to qualify for the Volleyball Nations League so that we can begin competing with the top countries.
“While qualifying for the Olympics may seem ambitious at the moment, considering the strength of our pool, we view these matches as an opportunity to gain more experience of playing at this high level.
Hopefully we can get more ranking points to take us closer to our main target of qualifying for the VNL even if it’s through the rankings,” stated Al-Kuwari, who also serves as Asia Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Vice-President.
Raising the standard of the national team has also had a positive ripple effect on Qatari clubs. Al Rayyan recently won gold in the inaugural West Asian Men’s Club Volleyball Championship held in Jordan, while Police SC finished third.
“Our league is now at a good level and our clubs are beginning to have more confidence in our homegrown players which is good for the national team. When we have our players consistently fielded in the league matches, it gives them more exposure and makes them more competitive,” asserted Al-Kuwari.
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