Bengaluru, Dec 14 (IANS): The Central Asian Volleyball Association (CAVA) has decided to start the CAVA Nations Cup to promote the sport of Volleyball across the Central Asian region. The tournament is poised to become a flagship event, bringing together top teams from Central Asia to compete at the highest level.

The introduction of the CAVA Nations Cup aligns with the growing popularity of volleyball worldwide and serves as a catalyst for the sport’s development across Central Asia.

CAVA is the supporting Zonal Association of the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) and represents the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and the AVC in Central Asia and South Asia to promote and develop Indoor, Beach, Grass and Snow Volleyball in the region.

The nations affiliated with the Central Asian Volleyball Association (CAVA) are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

The details on the number of participants in the CAVA Nations Cup, along with the qualification criteria, the venues and dates for the inaugural edition are yet to be finalised, the organisers informed in a release on Saturday.

With CAVA's deep-rooted knowledge of regional volleyball along with Baseline Ventures' expertise in organising the successful Prime Volleyball League over the last three years and various other sports marketing initiatives, the association aims to enhance the competitive standards of the sport while fostering a passionate fanbase across Asian countries.

Mohamed Latheef, President of CAVA, expressed his excitement about the new initiative. “We are excited to partner with Baseline Ventures who have been the brainchild behind the very popular Prime Volleyball League in India. We are excited to work on the CAVA Nations Cup with Baseline as we witnessed India’s stand-out performance during the last Asian Games which was a direct result of the success of Prime Volleyball League."