Poor Results, Yes – But the Explanations Are There
La Presse – The Tunisian under‑19 volleyball team that took part in the World Championship was harshly battered. It collected defeat after defeat. The national U21 side just finished last at the Chinese World Championship. Yet, once again, these “Worlds” gave officials at every level a clear picture of the enormity of the task ahead.
A Closer Look at the Scores
Facing Egypt, Italy, Poland, Spain, Iran, and others, our U19 squad was not ridiculous. The numbers tell the story. A loss, even by a single point, is still a loss – but the manner of the defeat matters. Those European nations we know so well operate with a completely different organisational structure than ours.
In fact, no one could fault their youth competitions; they are as well‑run as senior tournaments. Many of those players soon move up to the senior level, developing in an environment far richer in infrastructure, technical expertise, and organisational support.
Where Do We Stand?
We must admit, with bitterness, that almost all of our young athletes – across every collective or individual sport (and it’s even worse in the latter) – are settling for crumbs. Let alone the preparation programmes and training camps. Funding is scarce, so we rely on a few gatherings and matches against teams that do not push our players to meet higher demands.
These World Championships, however, have undoubtedly delivered valuable lessons for everyone involved. The real question now is how we will apply those lessons once we return to the modesty of our domestic youth competitions.
The Difference Lies Here
We need to go all‑in.
The resources required are nothing like what our opponents invest. We know that, for the country, it’s a matter of priorities. Yet finding sponsors is not forbidden – it is possible. Egypt, a regular opponent on our path, has understood this. They have poured money into infrastructure and provided the funds needed for their athletes to progress faster.
They have overtaken us in handball and basketball, and now they are staking their claim in volleyball. It is not our habit to look for mitigating circumstances, but this is a chance to remind sport administrators that neglecting these age categories is no longer acceptable.
What It Takes to Prepare for a World Championship
Regardless of the quality of a national league, preparing for a World Championship demands:
- About ten high‑level international tournaments, plus
- Roughly twenty matches where intensity and combativeness are truly present.
Only by investing genuine interest in our youth competitions can we envision a brighter future. Continuing to maintain these categories merely to satisfy administrative requirements will leave our young teams as peripheral figures, filling slots on a calendar without real development. That is a choice – and it is one we must reconsider.
