2006 World Championships   More World Championship news       Tournament info: Thailand

Thailand looking for three-peat

Bangkok, Thailand, July 27, 2005 - Can Thailand reach the final round of the Women's World Volleyball Championships for the third consecutive time. That is the question to be asked when five teams battle hard in the World Championship first round tournament - Asia Group B in Ratchaburi, which starts on Monday, vying for two berths in the next years finals.

The single round-robin tournament will kick off at the air-conditioned, 4,000-seater Ratchaburi Provincial Gymnasium with the Philippines taking on Tonga in the curtain-raiser at 4pm. World ranked number 17 and sixth-time SEA Games champions Thailand will challenge Kazakhstan in the second match at 6pm.
Pic: Caption: Ratchaburi Governor Polwat Chayanuwat, seated second from left, and Prommin Thawatchainan, vice president of the Volleyball Association of Thailand, seated third from left, pose with organising committees in the press conference on Wednesday
The host side will have a rest day on Tuesday and next play South Korea the following day. Thailand will then go up against the Philippines and Tonga on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.

At the end of the five-day meet, only the two top teams will join the other 22 teams including hosts Japan and
defending world champions Italy in the World Championship Finals from November 16 to December 3, 2006.

On the Ratchaburis preparation for hosting the world-class tournament, its Governor Polawat Chayanuwat, who jointly chaired the Wednesdays press conference with Prommin Thawatchainan, vice president of the Volleyball Association of Thailand, said that
the Bt110-million gymnasium already served twice for major competitions.

It was first used as the basketball competing venue during the last years National Games in Ratchaburi. Later, it served as a battleground for the last May's World Mens Volleyball Championship Asian Qualification Preliminaries Group B.

Around 300 personnels of our working groups have been set up to supervise the staging of the tournament. I dare say that the province is 100 per cent ready for hosting the event and making it a great success.

Ratchaburi residents also look forward to watching the thrilling competition at the actual venue. The Thai national women's volleyball team have already undergone training stints with Chinas Sichuan side and hundreds of our residents streamed into the venue
each day to watch them play, said Polawat.

It will be one of the most important sporting events the province has ever hosted and I'm convinced that thousands of spectators from not only Ratchaburi, but also neighbouring provinces will pack the gymnasium each day to give their players a morale boost. On behalf of the host province, I would like to welcome all participating teams and visitors to Ratchaburi. I hope that you all will enjoy the thrilling competition and the beauty of the province, he added.

Thailand finished in joint 13th place with USA, Germany and Kenya in their debut 16-team Finals in Japan in 1998. Four years later in their second 24-team Finals in Germany saw the Thai side in a joint 17th position with Argentina, Canada and Czech Republic.