In a press release on Wednesday, VFV stated that all player records, including those to the athlete deemed ineligible, had been submitted on time, reviewed and approved by FIVB prior to the tournament.

However, on Tuesday, FIVB suddenly requested additional original documents and introduced new eligibility requirements for the player, criteria which VFV said had never been previously applied to Vietnamese athletes.

As a result, the player was disqualified from the competition, and Vietnam’s 3-0 win over Indonesia, 3-1 win over Serbia, 3-1 win over Canada and 1-3 loss to Argentina were all overturned to 0-3 defeats. Only the 3-1 victory over Puerto Rico on Tuesday remained valid, as the ineligible player did not participate in that match. Notably, two key players, Dang Thi Hong, the tournament’s third-highest scorer with 83 points and Nguyen Phuong Quynh, were absent from the Puerto Rico game.

The ruling dropped Vietnam from second place in Group A to last, eliminating them from the round of 16 and placing them in the classification round for places 17-24 against Egypt instead of Turkey.

Under the FIVB disciplinary regulations issued in 2023, any team fielding an ineligible player will have all affected results nullified, face fines of up to 30,000 Swiss francs (US$37,000) per case, and risk up to a two-year suspension for the player involved.

The controversy gained attention after Thai newspaper Thailath reported that the two absent Vietnamese players were awaiting results of gender verification tests required by FIVB, with samples taken but without detailed explanation of the testing type. The report claimed that a team in the same group had lodged a complaint, prompting FIVB to launch an investigation.

VFV confirmed it is lodging an official complaint through FIVB’s procedures and coordinating with domestic authorities to protect the athletes’ rights and the reputation of Vietnamese volleyball. It also urged the public and media to remain objective and continue supporting the team through this challenging period.

This marks Vietnam’s debut at the U21 Women’s Volleyball World Championship, taking place from Aug. 7 to 17 in Surabaya, Indonesia. The 24 teams are divided into four groups for round-robin play, with the top four in each group advancing to the round of 16 and the rest competing for places 17–24.