Praise for Doha's sporting facilities

Volleyball's world governing body FIVB has described Qatar's sporting facilities as among the best in the world.

Doha hosted the 2009 FIVB Menâs Club World Volleyball Championship at its Aspire Zone sporting facility at the beginning of November..

Italian team Trentino won the Championship, restored to the volleyball calendar after a break of 17 years, from an eight team field that featured teams from Russia, Puerto Rica, Qatar, Poland, Iran, Brazil and Egypt will be battling out for the team world title,.

The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) second Vice President, Theofanis Tsiokris described the competition as a great exhibition of world class volleyball including some of the most exciting players from around the world.

Tsiokris stated "for the tournament to come back after such a long gap of has given the Menâs Club World Championship a real buzz.

"We have the best teams that the sport has to offer in Qatar and we are all expecting an extremely close fought title. For many of these players, it will be one of the real highlights of their careers."

The competition also created a new level of interest in the sport at a local and national level.

Tsiokris added "one of the best aspects of an event like this is what we call the 'ambassador effect'. The enthusiasm and the adrenaline of the sport becomes infectious, and when I heard that the Qatar Volleyball Association is planning to launch a new Communities Volleyball League this year, I was extremely proud of my sport and Qatar's energy, which the people of this country have proved time and time again."

The Qatar Volleyball Association's (QVBA) Technical Director, Hussein Imam Ali said the sport has really captured the imagination of the nation and the league is aimed at bringing together various expatriate communities in Qatar, advising "the response for the forthcoming 2009 FIVB Menâs Club World Volleyball Championship has been overwhelming. We have had meetings with Indian, Sudanese, Filipino, Iranian, Egyptian and other nationals here in Doha and they have extended support for our event. Now it is our turn to thank them by giving them this Communities League.

"There is a lot of interest and talent among the expatriates and we would like to help them realise their dreams."

Tsiokris also said that the Qatar was becoming automatically associated with high profile sporting events and thoroughly deserved its reputation as a champion of sporting ambition and commitment, concluding "Qatar established its organisational capabilities a long time ago by hosting the 2006 Asian Games. They also host a series of major events every year and the country deserves to be congratulated for hosting such top-class competitions. I have no doubt that weâll get to see another great event in November and many more after that. This is the perfect venue for the return of such a prestigious tournament."

Image: FIVB Men's Club World Volleyball Championship Doha

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