Jastrzębski Węgiel, one of Europe’s top volleyball clubs, has announced that it will not be participating in the upcoming Club World Championships. Despite being extended an official invitation by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) on June 1st as a finalist of the CEV Champions League 2023, the club has decided to forego the competition slated for December 6-10, 2023 in India.
The club expressed its gratitude towards the World Volleyball Federation for the invite, emphasizing the honor it represented. However, the challenges posed by a tightly packed volleyball calendar, intense match schedules, and logistic hurdles associated with the travel to India, compelled the club to make this tough decision.
A factor contributing to the decision is the upcoming season’s demanding schedule, with the league season in Poland commencing on October 21 due to the Paris Olympic Games qualifications, and ending on April 28, 2024. This leaves little room for international commitments such as the Club World Championships, especially as the club is also due to participate in the Champions League, which starts on November 21.
The management further noted that the journey to India is not a simple logistic task, and cited health risks as an additional concern. Vaccinations for infectious diseases are not a legal mandate for travel to India but are highly recommended, introducing potential health risks and logistic complexities.
The club’s participation would also necessitate the postponement of at least two PlusLiga matches and a Champions League match, a move that would be challenging given the already compact season. The club’s priority remains national and European competitions.
Notably, Jastrzębski Węgiel had a shot at another trophy, having reached the Champions League final. They reminisced about their 2011 participation in the Club World Championships in Doha, Qatar, where they reached the finals and narrowly lost to Itas Trentino, expressing a desire to better that performance.
However, after deep internal analysis involving the training staff, the club concluded that not participating in the Club World Championships was the best course of action. This decision was communicated to the FIVB on June 13.
