NAKHON PATHOM, THAILAND READY TO HOST FOUR MAJOR BEACH VOLLEYBALL EVENTS IN SECURE BUBBLE

NAKHON PATHOM, THAILAND READY TO HOST FOUR MAJOR BEACH VOLLEYBALL EVENTS IN SECURE BUBBLE

Bangkok, Thailand, June 8, 2021 – Thailand Volleyball Association in conjunction with Nakhon Pathom Province announced their readiness to host four major beach volleyball events in secure bubble in Nakhon Pathom between June and July.

The four events which will be held at courtyard in front of the Mida Grande Hotel Dhavaravati Nakhon Pathom are as follows
1. The FIVB Beach Volleyball AVC Continental Cup Semi-finals from June 18 to 19.
2. The FIVB Beach Volleyball AVC Continental Cup Finals between June 25 and 27. Both events will serve as Asian qualification tournaments for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
3. The 2021 Asian U19 Beach Volleyball Championships during July 3 and 6.
4. The 2021 Asian U21 Beach Volleyball Championships from July 12 to 15.

To hold the four events during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to note that the hotel for officials and participating teams and venues should stay up-to-date on all local, state and federal guidelines to ensure that all protocols are being met in order to make safe competitions.

Venues must communicate health and safety protocols, while the hotel should also communicate their safety protocol as far and wide as possible, in any way that they can.

The four events will similarly be held with a secure bubble concept to ensure the health of all participating teams and officials involved. The bubble concept will protect the health of all participants by accommodating all participating teams in one hotel in a safe environment with frequent COVID-19 testing, significantly minimizing the risk of virus transmission.

Earlier in the morning, Dr Chawetsan Namwat held a meeting to examine preparations in relevant aspects ahead of the staging of the four beach volleyball events, which will use the “Organizer Quarantine or Bubble” format as the same measures and regulations implemented by Thailand while recently organising world-class badminton, jetski and golf tournaments.

To get things ready, the inspection and careful examination have been applied on Tuesday in line with the “competition in secure bubble” policy which features five preparations – Hospitality/transportation for overseas participating teams and officials, Living conditions while staying in Alternative State Quarantine, Restrictions/regulations on training and competition, Healthcare/medical assistance and Community engagement for COVID-19 prevention and control. On this occasion, the organisers of the four events received a lot of useful advices from Department of Disease Control.

Later in the afternoon, a multi-lateral press conference on Thailand’s readiness in hosting four major beach volleyball events was held at Mida Grande Hotel Dhavaravati Nakhon Pathom to present necessary competition information for promotional purposes of the above-mentioned four tournaments.

The meeting was jointly chaired by TVA President Mr Somporn Chaibangyang, Mr Shanrit Wongprasert, AVC Honorary Life Vice President and Executive Director of AVC Headquarters, and Ms Daranee Likhitworasak, Deputy Permanent Secretary of Tourism & Sports Ministry. Also in attendance were Mr Serin Kaewphichit, Mayor of Nakhon Pathom, Dr Prawit Premtheerasomboon from Piyavet Hospital and Dr Chawetsan Namwat, Director for Emergency Health Hazard and Disease Control at the Department of Disease Control.

In his speech, Somporn said, “Following the approval from Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), we have arrived here to check readiness of host province Nakhon Pathom and the competition venue ahead of the staging of the four beach volleyball competitions. Working groups including those from Department of Disease Control and Sports Authority of Thailand came here to rehearse important presentations and practices which came out in a satisfying manner.

“Despite the fact that minor improvement is still required, I think it’s not a big deal. What matters most is we will do our best to follow the strict measures and restrictions implemented. I’m convinced that organising the four beach volleyball events in a secure bubble will boost confidence and bring fame and reputation to Thailand in its determined efforts of hosting more competitions in the near future,” Somporn added.

Dr Chawetsan from Department of Disease Control expressed his admiration for professional management of Tourism & Sports Ministry. “This is not the first time for a sports competition to be held in a secure bubble, but the mindset behind success is how the overseas participants need no 14-day self-quarantine to compete safely with special precautions to prevent COVID-19. So, it’s necessary that frequent testing for COVID-19 is badly needed on this matter,” he said.

“With strict measures and restrictions implemented, I would like to confirm that one thing Nakhon Pathom residents can be sure of is the competition will be held with a safe environment to protect the health and wellbeing of all participants. Mida Grande Hotel Dhavaravati Nakhon Pathom and the competition venue here has certain areas with usable spaces and clear routes and therefore, those who are not involved in the competitions will not be allowed.

“Furthermore, during the competitions, officials from the Department of Disease Control will be on standby here in the bubble, taking care of concerning activities as well as conducting frequent Swab testing. So, a safe environment like this will help protect the health and wellbeing of all participating teams, officials and people in the nearby area. Moreover, in a worst case scenario, if there is any infected person, we, Department of Disease Control, have management measures to effectively prevent the spread of infection. This aims at maintaining good image of Thailand as the host country,” Dr Chawetsan added.

Dr Prawit from Piyavet Hospital said, “It’s our great honour to serve as one of the official hospitals for the four beach volleyball competitions. Apart from playing a vital role as the medical assistance to help treat the injured athletes and officials, we also give knowledge on precautions to prevent COVID-19 to those interested. We are well-prepared in providing doctors, nurses and healthcare workers on standby during the competitions. In addition, we also gained experience in working in State Quarantine to look after those from the high-risk areas. So, we are very determined to help make the events greatly successful.

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