Iran, Pakistan looking ahead to enhance sports cooperation

Iran has invested a lot to promote sport activities in the country and that is why many of Iranian teams are performing well at the international arena in different games.

Pakistan being a neighbor of Iran can benefit a lot from the experience of the Islamic Republic in sports sector.

Last year Iranian tennis team visited Pakistan to play Davis Cup which is a clear example of close and strong ties between the two friendly countries. Pakistan hosted the international tennis event after twelve years.

Iran will also participate in Pakistan’s first-ever “Super Kabaddi League” (SKL) to be held in eastern city of Lahore in May this year.

Another example of close cooperation between Iran and Pakistan in sport sector is that an Iranian coach Hamid Movahedi is training the Pakistani volleyball teams.

In an interview with IRNA, Chairman of Pakistan Volleyball Federation Chaudhry Muhammad Yaqoob said they are very happy with the performance of Hamid Movahedi. “We are happy with our coach and we have extended his stay for one more year,” he said.

“He is very energetic, very hardworking and he is handling three teams at a time, he spends eight hours in the morning, eight hours in the evening so he is a man with lot of energy and is technically also very sound,” he said.

He said: I think with his hard work our level has gone up already and we are hopeful that our level will go further up.

He added that right now we have three camps of our volleyball teams, under 18, under 20 junior and then the senior team.

“The senior team is going to Almaty, Kazakhstan next month to participate in a four nation tournament for the FIVB challenger cup and in the tournament, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Qatar and Taiwan will take part,” he noted.
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haudhry Muhammad Yaqoob added that then Pakistan youth team is going to Iran to play Asia youth, and then the Asian junior tournament will be held in Bahrain in which we will also take part.

“I think this is going to be a year of change, in next two years time Pakistan wants to be on victory stand in Asia and in next five to ten years we want to be on the victory stand of the world championships and ultimately in the world Olympics. This is our dream and this is our vision,” he said.

The official said Pakistan is very happy with the Iranian volleyball federation and the Iranian government for their help. “Whatever we have been asking they are very helpful and very cooperative, whenever we have said that we want to go there to play with the Iranian teams they always welcome us,” said Chairman Pakistan Volleyball Federation.

He said that Iranian volley team has gone up and they are working very hard, now Iran is Asia’s best.

“Iran has invested a lot in sports generally and particularly the volleyball. Volleyball has become the number one sport of Iran,” the official added.

Yaqoob went on to say that Iran has been inviting us every year on the occasions of Independence Day and anniversary of Islamic Revolution; otherwise we go there for participating in tournaments.

Earlier Hamid Movahedi had said that: 'I have worked very hard for the last several months and turned the raw material into a team. For next few years, they need top class training and international matches, so until Pakistani team play international matches, they couldn’t improve. I have a long-term plan for Pakistan volleyball and I can easily say that future of Pakistan volleyball is quite bright.'

Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) Director for Asia and Oceana Luis Alexnadra Pontes Rodrigues talking to IRNA said the cooperation between Iran and Pakistan is something very unique and gives us a great pleasure to see.

He added that Pakistan has very good plan because of this plan they have invited us to see their volleyball, we also try to help them as much as we can, and we see them with very good eyes.

“I am satisfied with the efforts of Pakistan to promote the game of volleyball here. I will transmit these plans of Pakistan to our team in Switzerland and also to the President and sure he will help them in best possible way,” he said.

The FIVB official said it is very good that Iran and Pakistan are cooperating with each other for the improvement of volleyball and having an Iranian coach here is good for the volleyball in Pakistan.
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