The 23rd Asian Women's Volleyball Championship kicked off in Tianjin, China, with Kazakhstan's national team participating, reports infohub.kz.
Twelve national teams from Asia are competing for the main trophy. The champions will earn a spot at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, while the medalists will secure places at the 2027 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship to be held in Canada and the United States.
In the group stage, Kazakhstan has been placed in Group B alongside Thailand, Indonesia, and Australia. Group A features China, Iran, Chinese Taipei, and Iraq, while Group C includes Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, and Hong Kong. The top two teams from each group, along with the two best third-placed teams, will advance to the quarterfinals.
In the tournament's opening match, Iranian volleyball players defeated Chinese Taipei 3-1 in Group A. Kazakhstan will play their first match tomorrow against Indonesia. At the recent Asian Nations Cup in the Philippines, where the Kazakh women finished fourth, they beat Indonesia 3-0.
On August 23, Askar Shalkibekov's charges will face Australia, and on August 25, they will take on Thailand.
The first Asian Women's Volleyball Championship was held in Melbourne in 1975. Over the 22 tournaments, the podium has been dominated by teams from China, Japan, Thailand, and South Korea, but Kazakhstan once broke into their ranks. In 2005, the Kazakh volleyball players became vice-champions, losing 0-3 to the hosts, China, in the final.
Neither before nor after that have Kazakh women finished higher than fifth place at the continental championship. They also finished fifth at the 2023 Asian Championship in Thailand, where Thailand claimed their third continental title, China took silver, and Japan bronze.