Three experienced Maldivian officials have been assigned senior responsibilities at the AVC Under-18 Beach Volleyball Asian Championship being held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from Wednesday until 10 May.

According to Volleyball Association of Maldives, international referee Hussain Mohamed served as the tournament’s technical delegate, while Ahmed Shakeeb (Doc), acted as medical delegate.

Meanwhile, Ismail Abdulla officiated the tournament as a neutral referee.

The championship was held at the Olympic Village in Uzbekistan, with VAM describing the appointments as a significant achievement for Maldivian volleyball.

Hussain had previously served as technical delegate for an AVC beach volleyball tournament in the Philippines last April.

The technical delegate is the highest-ranking official appointed by the Asian Volleyball Confederation for a tournament and is responsible for overseeing operations, including travel, accommodation and venue standards for players, referees and officials.

Hussain earned his FIVB Beach Volleyball C Grade qualification in 2023 and has also officiated at the 2018 Junior World Championships in Japan.

Shakeeb, a member of the AVC Medical Committee, is regarded as one of the Maldives’ most experienced sports physicians. In addition to his work with the Football Association of Maldives medical department, he served with the national football team from 1997 until recently.

He holds qualifications including a Diploma in FIFA Football Medicine and has completed the AFC Elite Medical Officer Course, AFC Team Physician Programme and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support training.

Ismail previously officiated as a neutral referee at the Asian Youth Games in Bahrain last October, marking his first assignment in that role.

He was promoted to AVC beach volleyball referee status in June last year and became only the second Maldivian to achieve the qualification.