Defending champion WAPDA have once again won the National Women Volleyball Championship after defeating Pakistan Army in the final.
After a nail-biting thriller in Islamabad, WAPDA won by three sets to one with a scoreline of 24-26, 25-18, 25-14 and 25-21 points.
WAPDA lost the first set but made an impressive comeback to clinch the title.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Youth Affairs Shaza Fatima Khawaja said Friday that sports was a top priority of the federal government.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the Women's National Volleyball Championship at the Pakistan Sports Complex, she lauded the women players who featured in the championship.
“Women have been working hard in every field and proving their mettle,” she stressed.
“They [women] are no less than men in any field. The government will support volleyball including sports at all levels,” Shaza added.
Efforts are underway to encourage and promote women not only in sports but in every walk of life, the minister further stated, adding that support programs for sportspersons would be launched so that young girls can come forward from the grass-roots level.
Meanwhile, Chairman Pakistan Volleyball Federation Chaudhry Muhammad Yaqoob said that they were trying their best to promote women’s volleyball.
“Pakistan women’s team can bag the top position in the South Asian Games,” he said.
“Pakistan will also try to qualify for the Olympics. We will emerge victorious in Asia in the next two years,” he claimed.
According to the official website of Olympic Games is now estimated to be played by over 800 million globally.
History of volleyball
The Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) was established in April 1947.
The first volleyball World Championships for men was held in 1949 in Prague and in 1952 for women in Moscow.
FIVB has since grown into becoming one of the biggest sporting organisations in the world with 222 affiliated bodies.
While the World Championships continues to be the mega attraction for the game, the FIVB has added events like the FIVB World League, the FIVB World Grand Prix, the FIVB World Cup and the FIVB Grand Champions Cup to its roster over the years, apart from eventually becoming an Olympic sport.