By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
The Philippine men’s and women’s indoor volleyball teams have secured berths in the 2026 Asian Games in Japan this September.
The Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) confirmed the qualification through an email sent to the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) over the weekend, with both teams earning their spots based on their FIVB rankings in Asia.
“This is great news for our volleyball program,” said POC President Abraham “Bambol’ Tolentino.
Alas Women made the cut after ranking No. 10 in the continent, while the Alas Men qualified as the region’s No. 15 team.
A total of 16 teams will compete in each division of the quadrennial meet, which will be held in Aichi Prefecture from Sept. 27 to Oct. 3.
The men’s field is composed of Japan, Iran, Pakistan, South Korea, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Qatar, Bahrain, Chinese-Taipei, India, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Hong Kong.
Joining the women’s competition are Japan, Kazakhstan, Iran, China, Chinese-Taipei, Thailand, Vietnam, Qatar, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, India, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Mongolia and North Korea.
The indoor volleyball team’s qualification came after the country’s beach volleyball squads bannered by reigning Southeast Asian Games champions Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons also secured a spot in the 12-nation tournament.
The country is expected to field at least 700 athletes to the Games.
