Bangladesh Eyes the Final in the Multi-Million Taka Volleyball Tournament

Volleyball, once a widely popular sport during the 1970s and 1980s in Bangladesh, had gradually faded from the national spotlight. However, in recent years, it has occasionally resurfaced through Central Asian tournaments. This October, the sport is once again set to capture public attention as Bangladesh hosts a six-nation volleyball competition — the CAVA Cup Tournament — at the Shaheed Suhrawardy Indoor Stadium in Dhaka from 22 to 28 October.

The participating nations include Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan.

A formal trophy unveiling and press conference was held today at the Bangladesh Olympic Association Auditorium to mark the occasion.

During the event, Bimal Ghosh Bhulu, the General Secretary of the Bangladesh Volleyball Federation, announced that the estimated budget for hosting the tournament is between Tk 1.20 crore and Tk 1.30 crore.

“We do not intend to exceed this budget,” Bhulu stated.
“We have spent more in the past, but this time, our main focus is not the expenditure — our goal is to reach the final.”

Tournament Overview

Harshit Biswas, the captain of the Bangladesh national volleyball team, expressed optimism about the squad’s performance, highlighting their recent form: “We were out of competitive play for a while, but we’ve recently played two matches against Afghanistan and won both. This has boosted our confidence. We’ve been preparing for over a month, and our aim is to play in the final.”

In preparation for the upcoming South Asian (SA) Games, the federation has brought in Japanese coach Ryan Masajedi to strengthen the national team.

At the press conference, Coach Masajedi remarked: “I have prepared the players well for this tournament. We lacked some match practice earlier, but the recent games against Afghanistan helped us regain rhythm. I am confident about reaching the final.”

However, there remains uncertainty over whether Bangladesh will participate in the SA Games scheduled for January next year in Pakistan, which could impact the federation’s ability to retain the Japanese coach due to financial constraints.

Latif Shahriar Zahidi, Vice-President of the Bangladesh Volleyball Federation, addressed the media regarding future plans and resource management: “Once the tournament concludes, we will hold a meeting to decide our next course of action. We would like to retain Coach Masajedi for the continued development of volleyball in Bangladesh.”

Zahidi has personally provided a significant portion of the tournament’s financial support. When asked about the federation president’s role, he responded: “It’s impossible for one person alone to run a federation or a sport. The president and all of us are working together sincerely to elevate volleyball. Once, our ranking was between 65 and 70 globally, but due to limited international participation, it has dropped beyond 100. We are now prioritising international exposure to restore our position.”

With renewed focus, strong preparation, and increased investment, Bangladesh’s volleyball team aims to revive the sport’s lost glory — with eyes firmly set on reaching the CAVA Cup final and re-establishing itself as a competitive force in Asia.