Nong Khai, Thailand, April 1, 2015 – The “Nongkhai-Chang” AVC Beach Volleyball Continental Cup Zonal Championships for South Eastern Asia are ready to kick off on Thursday at the Jommanee Beach here as the General Technical Meeting was held on Wednesday, with participating players from seven countries taking part.

The competition, which has been regarded as the qualification tournament for 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games of South Eastern Zone of Asia, will take place from Thursday to Sunday, with Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines and Malaysia respectively seeded top to sixth in the men’s event. Hosts Thailand are top seeds in the women’s tournament, followed by second seeds Vietnam, third seeds Indonesia, fourth seeds Malaysia, fifth seeds Philippines and sixth seeds Singapore respectively.

In the men’s competition, the Philippines and Cambodia will play in the morning quarter-finals. The winners in this encounter will go up against top seeds Indonesia, which received the quarter-final bye, in the afternoon semi-finals. The other quarter-final clash will see Vietnam take on Malaysia, with the winners challenging second seeds Thailand in the other semi-finals on Friday. Like Indonesia, the host side also received the quarter-final bye.

In the women’s event, the Philippines will play Malaysia in the morning quarter-final match on Thursday and the winners will be pitted against top seeds Thailand, which received the quarter-final bye, in the afternoon semi-finals. The other quarter-final clash sees Indonesia face Singapore and the winners will next take on second seeds Vietnam in the remaining semi-finals the following day.

The General Technical Meeting was held on Wednesday, with Shanrit Wongprasert, chairman of the AVC Sports Events Committee and the AVC’s Secretary-General, presiding. Players from seven participating countries joined the meeting including Thailand’s Varapatsorn Radarong and Thanarattha Udomchawee, the only two women’s players from South East Asia who are eligible for the FIVB World Beach Volleyball Championships in The Netherlands from June 26 to July 5.

The two competition sites at Jammanee Beach have already been confirmed to get 100 per cent ready to organise the four-day competition. On Thursday, the first match will start simultaneously at 9am local time at both courts.