When the boys of India’s under-16 volleyball team defeated Japan and China earlier this year at the Asian U16 Championship, it was hailed as the dawn of a new era. A group of teenagers, disciplined and fearless, had stunned Asia’s volleyball elite.
The promise was unmistakable: India was ready to challenge the continent’s best at the 3rd Asian Youth Games (AYG) Bahrain 2025.
Except, they never got the chance. Despite months of training, national camps, and selection trials, no Indian volleyball team neither boys nor girls will compete in Bahrain.
The reason?
A familiar cocktail of administrative chaos, power struggles, and opaque governance that continues to poison Indian sport from within.
The Dream That Turned into Disappointment
It began with hope. In August, the Volleyball Federation of India (VFI) announced that 28 players (boys and girls) had been shortlisted for the National Youth Coaching Camp, the first step toward selection for the Asian Youth Games.
The camp was held, drills completed, and performance sheets compiled. Players, coaches, and parents waited for the final squad announcement. Then silence.
When the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) released its list of teams bound for Bahrain, volleyball was missing. The same players who had carried India to bronze medals at both the AVC U16 and CAVA U19 Championships were nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, the boys and girls packed their bags, not for Bahrain, but for home.
The reason behind the omission reads like a recurring tragedy in Indian sports governance.
The Volleyball Federation of India, which has spent years mired in factional disputes and ad hoc leadership changes, is currently split between two bodies one “interim elected” and one “ad hoc committee” appointed by the IOA after international suspension by the FIVB (International Volleyball Federation).
In early September, the interim body held youth trials in Jaipur, reportedly calling dozens of under-18 players to compete for AYG selection. But according to coaches and insiders, the process lacked transparency, with no clarity on who had the authority to finalize the squad.
When the final list was sent to the IOA for ratification, it was rejected on procedural grounds. The IOA could not recognize selections made by a body that wasn’t officially sanctioned by either the FIVB or the Sports Ministry.
By the time paperwork and representation disputes reached New Delhi, the submission deadline for Bahrain 2025 had passed. India’s volleyball teams were out not for lack of talent, but because of bureaucratic paralysis.
The Games Go On, Without India
While India remains absent, the volleyball courts in Bahrain will still hum with youthful energy. The boys’ volleyball event at the Asian Youth Games will feature 12 nations, divided into four pools:
•Pool A: Bahrain, Pakistan, Mongolia
•Pool B: Iran, China, Qatar
•Pool C: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia
•Pool D: Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Indonesia
The girls’ event is equally competitive, with another 12 nations participating, including China, South Korea, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Iran, and the Philippines.
These teams will compete from October 22 to 31 at the Isa Sports City complex in Riffa the same venue that has hosted senior-level Asian championships.
The tournament is restricted to athletes aged 15–18, born between 2007 and 2010 the same age group India had spent two years grooming.
Athletes Caught in the Crossfire
For the players, the exclusion isn’t just a missed opportunity it’s a personal heartbreak.
Parents echo the frustration. One father from Tamil Nadu, whose son had represented India at the AVC U16s, says:
“We were told the camp was for Bahrain. My boy gave everything. Then suddenly the Games are happening, and India isn’t even sending a team. Who answers for this?”
There are no clear answers. The IOA cites “federation disputes.” The federation blames “delayed communication.” The Sports Ministry stays silent.
But for the players, none of that matters. They’ve lost the one thing youth sport cannot afford to lose time.
Volleyball isn’t an isolated casualty. India’s sporting ecosystem is riddled with similar stories. In recent years, selection controversies have rocked equestrian, table tennis, and even boxing.
The Delhi High Court had to intervene in the equestrian selection for the same Asian Youth Games after a junior rider, Vaasvi Khaitan, alleged bias in team nomination.
Each case exposes the same rot lack of transparent criteria, political interference, and the absence of accountability in federations that control athletes’ futures.
The Volleyball Federation’s internal rift, dating back to its suspension by the FIVB in 2021, remains unresolved despite repeated directives for reconciliation. What should have been a period of renewal has instead become another chapter in dysfunction.
The Cost of Governance Failure
The fallout goes beyond Bahrain. Missing the Asian Youth Games means no Youth Olympic qualification, no international exposure, and no world ranking points for India’s young volleyball players.
These are athletes who had already proved their merit — defeating Asian giants, finishing on podiums, and earning the respect of rivals. Now, as Bahrain 2025 unfolds without them, they’re left watching from home, wondering why talent in India always has to fight bureaucracy before it fights opponents.
Sports officials often talk about “pathways” and “development programs.”
But a pathway means nothing when the bridge collapses before the athletes can cross it.
The 3rd Asian Youth Games were supposed to showcase Asia’s future. For Bahrain, they are a statement of progress. For Japan, China, Iran, and Thailand, they are a preview of tomorrow’s champions.
For India, they are a mirror reflecting what happens when governance fails and ambition isn’t matched by accountability.
The tragedy is simple: a generation that earned its right to compete will now stay home. Their medals, their dreams, and their moment all lost not on the court, but in the corridors of power.
In a country that calls itself a rising sports nation, that’s not just an oversight.
That’s an indictment.
