Carnival approach the key

01/10/1998

THIRTY-TWO primary school teams will take part in the first mini-
volleyball Carnival at the Timur Ground in Petaling Jaya on Oct 17-19.
The carnival is part of the Malaysia Volleyball Association's (Mava)
development programme to lift the sport.
"A few years back, we tried to take the sport to schools by providing
5,000 balls and nets and encouraging teachers to introduce the sport,"
said Mava president Datuk Ong Ka Ting.
"We waited for one year but there were no progress reports, in fact,
some of the nets and balls went missing as well.
"That is why we have taken a carnival approach this year."
The carnival is only for Selangor and Kuala Lumpur teams, and is seen as
a stepping stone for a national carnival.
Ong is also confident that volleyball will soon become a popular sport,
especially if the spikers return with medals from top tournaments.
The girls started well with a bronze from the 10th Sea Junior
Championship in Thailand yesterday.
The team, with an average age of 16, were selected after the National
Youth Championship in Malacca recently.
Mava are bidding to host the World Championship next year in the hope
that it would spark an interest in the sport.
(END)