Vietnam volleyball penalty at world championship sparks Southeast Asian media storm

By Hoang An August 13, 2025 | 12:46 am PT

Southeast Asian media were shocked after Vietnam was handed 0-3 defeats in four group-stage matches at the ongoing U21 Women’s Volleyball World Championship in Indonesia over a player's eligibility.

Vietnam players at the U21 Women’s Volleyball World Championship in Surabaya, Indonesia on Aug. 12, 2025. Photo by VBW

"Shocking the world! The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) handed Vietnam a 0-3 loss in four matches after two players failed gender testing," Thai newspaper Siam Sport wrote on Wednesday.

On Tuesday night, FIVB announced that the Vietnam women's volleyball team were punished for using an ineligible player, without specifying the athlete's identity or the reason. Earlier, the Vietnam Volleyball Federation (VFV) explained that players Dang Thi Hong and Nguyen Phuong Quynh were absent from the final group-stage match against Puerto Rico because they "had to provide blood and urine samples," denying it was for gender testing.

Despite this, Thai media continued to suggest the two athletes were unqualified to compete due to gender reason, even misquoting the FIVB's statement.

Thai outlet Sanook called the decision "important news for world volleyball."

The controversy also spread across online volleyball communities.

On the Volleytrails, a forum with over 127,000 followers, a Philippine user speculated the issue "could be age, not gender," while some Thai users accused Vietnam of "not playing fair." Others called for gender testing of Indonesian player Junaida Santi, who led the group-stage scoring with 86 points, ahead of Czech Republic's Rejmanova (85 points) and Vietnam's Hong (83 points).

In Peru, the Pur Voley forum with nearly 300,000 followers also covered the incident, with the most-liked comment demanding gender testing for a Vietnamese player.

FIVB's ruling overturned Vietnam's three wins and one loss in matches involving the ineligible player to 0-3 losses, dropping them from second to last in Group A. Host Indonesia took Vietnam's place in the round of 16.

Indonesian U21 head coach Marcos Sugiyama admitted he had never seen a similar penalty but said it was FIVB's decision and not his concern.

Indonesia's leading sports newspaper Bola celebrated the development, calling it a "gift" for the home team.

Contrary to some regional reports claiming Vietnam had been eliminated, coach Nguyen Trong Linh's squad remains in the competition, playing in the 17–24 classification bracket, starting with a 3-1 victory against Egypt on Wednesday.