The Việt Nam’s women's volleyball team at the 2025 Women's U21 World Volleyball Championship. — Photo courtesy of World Volleyball

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s women's volleyball team have unexpectedly lost their ticket to the round of 16 at the 2025 Women's U21 World Volleyball Championship after being penalised by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB).

In the early morning of August 13 (local time), the FIVB announced an investigation into the Vietnamese team regarding the inclusion of an ineligible athlete in their roster for the tournament in Indonesia. 

As a result, the FIVB has cancelled all match results involving the violating player, leading to a 0-3 loss in those games. Consequently, the Vietnamese team have fallen to sixth place in Group A with only one win, resulting in their elimination from the round of 16.

The athlete in question, who was not named by the FIVB, will not participate in the remaining stages of the tournament.

Despite this setback, the team will still compete against Egypt in a ranking match on August 13, instead of facing Turkey in the round of 16. 

The Việt Nam Volleyball Federation has stated that it will make an official complaint regarding the decision.

The national federation said in a statement that it had submitted all required documents for the athletes prior to the tournament, adhering to FIVB regulations. This unprecedented decision appears to have been influenced by pressure from other teams in the same group once the group stage concluded, according to the federation.

On August 12, two players from the Vietnamese team were deemed ineligible, one of whom has since been cleared to play in the ranking match, while the other is involved in the recent FIVB announcement.

Following the news, the Việt Nam Volleyball Federation, with legal support, is actively compiling documents and evidence to engage with FIVB in an effort to protect the athletes' rights. — VNS