Cambodia’s men’s volleyball program has gotten a boost. Three Cuban players have been naturalized ahead of the Hangzhou Asian Games in September.
“The Cambodian Volleyball Federation has naturalized three players from Cuba for the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games,” Vietnamese media outlet THETHAO247 reported on September 23.
The three players play a variety of positions. First, Henry Pelayo Bernal, a 209-centimeter middle blocker born in 2001, was naturalized. He has been playing for Jakarta Bayankara Fresh of the Indonesian Froliga since the 2022-23 season. In 2019, he was named to Cuba’s U21 national team and competed at the World Championship and Pan American Cup.
Raciel Herrera, a 198-centimeter outside hitter born in 1996, and Lester Sanchez, a 184-centimeter setter born in 1988, also wear the Cambodian national colors.
Cambodia won bronze in 2022 and silver in 2023 at the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games). The country’s first appearance at the event, which began in 1977, was followed by a first-ever hosting in 2022. 카지노사이트
Since 2022, the Cambodian Volleyball Federation has also been active. It partnered with Cuba, ranked 14th in the FIVB world. In September 2022, two coaches from Cuba were hired to develop the national volleyball and beach volleyball teams. While Cambodia failed to advance past Indonesia at the 2023 SEA Games, the country’s progress is worth watching.
What’s more, Cambodia will be facing the South Korean men’s volleyball team led by Lim Do-heon. South Korea will face Cambodia and India in Group C of the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China from September 19-26.
Meanwhile, South Korea is currently competing in the Asian Championships. It topped Group F to reach the round of 12 and narrowly missed out on the quarterfinals with a full-set victory over Indonesia on Sept. 23. They will play the winner of the China-India match for a ticket to the quarterfinals.