The FIVB Women’s Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Macao 2019, sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) and jointly organized by the Sports Bureau of the Macao SAR Government and the Volleyball Association of Macao, China, will be held from May 28 to 30 (Tuesday to Thursday) at the Macao Forum. Three of the participating teams - China, Belgium and Thailand - arrived in Macao today for the upcoming matches.

Current world number two China were the first team to land in Macao and were warmly greeted at the Macao International Airport by the Sports Bureau and Organizing Committee (OC) President Pun Weng Kun and other OC members. Having recorded just a single win out of three matches in the first gameweek in Brazil, the return of key players including Zhu Ting, Gong Xiangyu and Zhang Changning will give China a timely boost as the team are looking to put up good performances in front of the home fans.

Belgium and Thailand have also arrived in Macao to start preparation for the upcoming matches. Belgium made a strong start to this year’s VNL campaign, scoring successive wins over Bulgaria and Japan, and captain IIka Van der Vyver and the in-form Britt Herbots will aim to continue their team’s winning streak in Macao. Thailand, led by veterans such as Nootsara Tomkon and Pleumjit Thinkaow, are looking to avenge their loss in the Asian Games gold medal match last year when they play China on the first day of the Macao leg.

The aforementioned three teams together with the arriving Korea will strive for improving their rankings in the VNL league table. The fixtures of FIVB VNL Macao 2019 are as follows (date and local time):

• May 28: 1530 Belgium v Korea, 1930 China v Thailand;
• May 29: 1630 Korea v Thailand, 1930 China v Belgium;
• May 30: 1300 Belgium v Thailand, 1930 China v Korea.

Match tickets are in hot demand and the remaining tickets (MOP150.00 for each one-day ticket, free-seating) can be purchased at 15 designated Circle K convenient stores in Macao or online on the official website www.macaowgp.com.  Customers who purchase tickets for all three days can enjoy a 30% discount until seats for any of the three days are sold out.

In order to encourage active participation of the audience, “My Favorite Galaxy Star Player and Team Award” will return this year. Volleyball fans will be invited to vote for their favorite players and teams, and voters will have the chance to win fabulous prizes of hotel accommodation and dining package.