Vietnam Volleyball Federation speaks out about ban on athlete Dang Thi Hong

Regarding the case of athlete Dang Thi Hong, the Vietnam Volleyball Federation (VFV) affirmed that athletes who do not meet the competition requirements of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) will not be allowed to compete in domestic tournaments.

"Official tournaments of the Vietnam Volleyball Federation and participating clubs and athletes are all registered in the FIVB system. Therefore, athletes who are not qualified as determined by FIVB will not be allowed to compete in tournaments in the official competition system of the Federation until further decision," said the VFV announcement.

Previously, VFV agreed not to allow athlete Dang Thi Hong to participate in domestic tournaments after receiving a heavy penalty from the World Volleyball Federation at the 2025 U21 World Cup.

Dang Thi Hong is banned from competing in domestic tournaments because she is involved in a FIVB penalty. Photo: SN

At this tournament, FIVB concluded that Vietnam's athletes were not qualified to compete. In addition to Dang Thi Hong being immediately eliminated from the tournament, the Vietnam U21 volleyball team was penalized with 4 losses in the group stage (in which athlete Dang Thi Hong played), leading to coach Nguyen Trong Linh and his team losing their ticket to the round of 16.

Regarding the issue of gender testing of athletes to avoid unfortunate incidents, VFV also has an official announcement. According to VFV, the testing will be tightened from the beginning of 2026 because the regulations for the 2025 season have been issued and applied in domestic tournaments.

This also means that some athletes suspected of gender fraud will still be able to compete normally until the end of 2025.

"The determination of gender identity disorder for athletes to participate in tournaments in the official competition system of Vietnam will be carried out according to specific instructions of FIVB, functional units and conditions to ensure the accuracy of this determination, starting from 2026," VFV announced.

Regarding athletes participating in international tournaments, VFV said: "Athletes participating in the SEA Games are tested for qualifications according to the regulations of the SEA Games Organizing Committee and the instructions of the Department of Sports and Physical Training."

Vietnamnet.vn

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/lien-doan-bong-chuyen-vn-len-tieng-ve-lenh-cam-vdv-dang-thi-hong-2441699.html