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Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Hernn Federico Pereyra and three other Olympians headline the international line-up for Prime Volleyball League Season 5, which will be held in Ahmedabad from November 30 to December 23.
The 29 international players represent countries across Asia, Europe, the Americas and Africa, adding global experience and depth to the competition, a release said. Recognised by the Fdration Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) as India's first division professional volleyball league, PVL will take another significant step in its evolution this season by introducing up to three international players per team for the first time. This move aims to build a stronger competitive landscape, raise the standard of the league and provide Indian players with greater opportunities to compete alongside international talent. Pereyra, an Argentine universal who won bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and also competed at London 2012, will represent the Telugu Black Hawks alongside Dominican Republic attacker Hector Alexis Cruz Cepin and Brazilian attacker Henrique Ferreira Meireles Guimaraes. The Calicut Heroes feature Canadian Olympians Steven James Douglas Marshall, who competed at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, and setter Brett James Walsh, who represented Canada at Paris 2024. Cuban universal Brayan Francisco Valle Garca completes their international contingent. Egyptian universal & Captain of the Egypt national volleyball team, Reda Ibrahim Abdelnaby Afifi Haikal, who competed at the Paris 2024 Olympics, will represent the Goa Guardians alongside Japanese middle blocker Shunichiro Sato and American attacker Nathaniel John Dickinson. The Bengaluru Torpedoes have retained American setter Matthew A. West, who was part of their Season 4 title-winning campaign, and added American universal Brandon Michael Rattray and brought back Australian attacker Thomas Alan Heptinstall. The Ahmedabad Defenders feature Iranian middle blocker Mehdi Jafaryan Vameh Del, and Indonesian attackers Luvi Febrian Nugraha & Fahri Septian Putratama. The Chennai Blitz have added French middle blocker Tanguy Vianney Dijoud, Colombian middle blocker Leandro Jose Mejia Ararat and attacker Zhantemir Zheenbek Uulu from the Kyrgyz Republic, while the Delhi Toofans will feature Colombian universal Willian Alejandro Bermudez Narvaez, Australian middle blocker James McTavish Weir and Senegalese attacker Amadou Laye Samb. The Kochi Blue Spikers will be represented by Serbian setter Marko Kostovic and German universal Christoph Marks. The Kolkata Thunderbolts have Finnish universal Samuli Ville Mikael Kaistasalo, Norwegian attacker Lars Kristian Ekeland and Polish middle blocker Krzysztof Rejno in their line-up. Norwegian middle blocker Petter Alstad stvik and Latvian attacker Atvars Ozolins complete the international roster for the Mumbai Meteors. Joy Bhattacharjya, CEO, Prime Volleyball League, said, as per the release, Bringing players of this calibre to Season 5 reflects the progress the league has made in building a competitive platform for volleyball in India. With PVL now recognised by the FIVB, introducing three international players per team for the first time is another important step in our journey to strengthen the competition. Having Olympic medallists, Olympians and experienced international professionals competing alongside Indian players will raise the standard of competition and provide our domestic talent with valuable exposure. We are looking forward to an exciting season in Ahmedabad and continuing to grow the sport across the country. With Olympic medallists, Olympians and professionals from established volleyball leagues joining the competition, Season 5 will further strengthen the leagues international profile while providing Indian players with opportunities to compete against some of the sports finest talent. Prime Volleyball League Season 5 will commence on November 30, at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad. (ANI)
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