Kalei Mau cleared by FIVB to play for Philippines
FILE – Kalei Mau. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine women’s volleyball team got a timely shot in the arm as it gears up for the Asian Senior’s Women’s Volleyball Championship next month.
Kalei Mau, the Filipino-American ace, has been cleared by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) to represent the country in international play, the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) said Wednesday.
I am officially a Philippine National volleyball player 🏐🇵🇭
— Kalei Mau (@Leimau_) July 7, 2021
Also, the PNVF announced Brazilian coach Jorge Edson Souza de Brito has secured his Philippine visa in Brazil with the help of the Department of Foreign Affairs.
“These are a couple of good news for Philippine volleyball. With Coach Jorge flying in soon and Mau already available to play for the country, we can now go on full throttle for the women’s national team training,” said PNVF president Ramon “Tats” Suzara.
The FIVB informed the PNVF and USA Volleyball as well as the Asian Volleyball Confederation and the North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation on Tuesday with regard to Mau’s eligibility status.
The 6-foot-2 Mau, who is a dual citizen of the Philippines and United States, was supposed to suit up in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, but was disallowed because of her affiliation with USA Volleyball.
The 26-year old Mau is currently seeing action in Puerto Rico’s Liga De Voleibol Superior Femenino as an import for Changas de Naranjito.
Mau, who played for US NCAA Division I school University of Arizona, first played in the country in the Philippine Superliga in 2018 with United Volleyball Club before moving to F2 Logistics the following year.
Since Mau’s mother is a Filipino, she was treated as a local player despite being a member of USA Volleyball.
So far, majority of the 16-member national women’s team, also preparing for the 31st Southeast Asian Games to be held in Hanoi in November barring postponement, are already in a bubble training camp at Ilocos Norte Centennial Arena in Laoag City.
Under the FIVB Regulations, a player can only be permitted to change federation of origin once and may not revert back to the original federation of origin or to a third federation of origin.
