Cuba (pictured), Puerto Rico, Chile and Costa Rica will battle for one ticket to the FIVB U-20 World Championship in Czech Republic
Four teams already qualified to the world event in Czech Republic next June –Colombia, Peru, Dominican Republic and Mexico– are grouped in Pool A while the non-qualified Chile, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and hosts Cuba compose Pool B.
The top team after the preliminary round in Pool B will be granted the ticket to the world championship, following a decision of the Volleyball Pan American Union.
The top two ranked teams in Pool A will advance directly to the semifinals while the third and fourth placed sides will meet in the quarterfinals with the top two ranked teams in Pool B.
The organizing committee of the tournament is presided over by Eugenio George Laffita, president of the Cuban National Federation, assisted by Ariel Sainz, recently appointed as volleyball national commissioner.
The members of the control committee are expected in Havana next Friday with teams and referees arriving one day later.
The first edition of the U-20 Pan American Cup was held in Lima, Peru in 2011 with Peru, Dominican Republic and Cuba finishing on the podium in that same order. Mexico, Venezuela, Costa Rica and El Salvador were the others participants.
The schedule for the preliminary round is the following:
March 18
14:00 Chile v Puerto Rico
16:00 Mexico v Colombia
18:00 Dominican Republic v Peru
20:00 Cuba v Costa Rica
March 19
14:00 Peru v Colombia
16:00 Dominican Republic v Mexico
18:00 Costa Rica v Puerto Rico
20:00 Cuba v Chile
March 20
14:00 Dominican Republic v Colombia
16:00 Costa Rica v Chile
18:00 Mexico v Peru
20:00 Cuba v Puerto Rico
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