Dang Thi Hong (number 12) during a match at the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Women's U21 World Championship in Surabaya, Indonesia, in August 2025. Photo: World Volleyball

On 12/8/2025, while competing in the U21 World Championship in Indonesia, Vietnam received shocking news. The FIVB forfeited four of their matches due to an ineligible player (later identified as Dang Thi Hong). The team dropped from second place in their group to last, eliminating them from the round of 16. The VFV immediately filed an appeal, but the results have not been publicly announced.

Yesterday, the VFV held a meeting and decided that Hong would not be allowed to participate in the second phase of the 2025 National Championship, as well as any tournaments within the official VFV system from September 2025 onward. This decision stems from the FIVB's sanctions, which also apply to tournaments organized by member federations.

Hong's ability to return to competition depends on the nature of the issue. Neither the FIVB nor the VFV has disclosed the reason for Hong's ineligibility. There are two possibilities: documentation or gender.

Dang Thi Hong was born in 2006, of Dao ethnicity, in the mountainous Pac Nam district, Bac Kan province (formerly), now part of Bang Thanh commune, Thai Nguyen province. Her birth certificate was filed late, leading to a discrepancy in her birth year on official documents compared to the tournament's age regulations.

If this is the primary reason, after the ban expires, Hong could return to FIVB tournaments, provided her documents are corrected and consistent. This is the easiest scenario to resolve. In international sports history, many athletes have faced temporary bans due to procedural issues but later returned to competition.

For example, four female players, Aline Siqueira, Caroline Apolinario, Mariana da Silva, and Moreira Bianca Gomes, were banned by the FIVB for 9 months for not meeting the naturalization requirements from Brazil to Rwanda in 2021. After the ban, these players returned to play for Brazilian clubs.

VFV General Secretary Le Tri Truong reported to the FIVB that the delay in Dang Hong's birth certificate was due to the athlete's rural background, a common occurrence in Vietnam at that time.

Conversely, if the FIVB considers this a gender issue, the situation becomes more complex. According to new regulations issued by the FIVB in 2023, an athlete's gender is not solely based on documentation. It can be reviewed and medically examined if there is an official complaint from another federation, accompanied by evidence. In that case, even after the ban expires, Dang Thi Hong would be unable to return to official FIVB tournaments unless the rules change.

However, this wouldn't prevent Hong from competing in domestic or regional tournaments outside the FIVB system, as long as the organizers don't apply similar strict regulations. In other words, the sanction only directly impacts her international career; domestically, opportunities remain.

Aprilia Santini Manganang (number 9) during a match between Indonesia and the Philippines at the 28th SEA Games in Singapore, on 10/6/2015. Photo: Reuters

Regarding the gender issue, this case is somewhat comparable to the well-known case of Aprilia Santini Manganang, a former Indonesian female volleyball player.

At the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore, the Philippines team filed a complaint alleging Aprilia had a gender advantage. According to Reuters, both the organizers and the FIVB dismissed the complaint, citing Aprilia's complete and valid documentation. The Jakarta Globe even quoted Indonesian officials saying Aprilia had played in the 2014 FIVB World Championship qualifiers in Vietnam without any issues.

FIVB regulations before 2022 did not have strict gender stipulations. Article 3.2.2 of the 2020 FIVB Sports Regulations stated that an athlete's gender in tournaments was based on their birth certificate, reflecting their gender at birth. Other clauses referred to athletes who had changed their gender since birth, not the situation in Aprilia's or Dang Hong's cases.

From 2015 to 2019, Aprilia continuously faced complaints from opponents, especially Thailand and the Philippines. But according to the Jakarta Post, both the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) and the FIVB defended her, citing the lack of medical evidence and the validity of her documents. Consequently, Aprilia continued to play for the Indonesian women's team in the SEA Games and Asian Games.

Born on 27/4/1992 and registered as female, Aprilia was raised as a girl. A year after retiring in September 2020, she joined the Indonesian army and was diagnosed with hypospadias, a birth defect common in boys. Boys with this condition can be mistaken for girls.

Later, Aprilia's biological gender was confirmed as male, and her name was changed to Aprilio. The Indonesian Volleyball Federation did not revoke the titles Aprilio won with the women's team, as he was not at fault.

In 2022, the FIVB amended its regulations to allow for gender verification procedures if a complaint is accompanied by medical evidence, according to Article 13.2. "Athletes who refuse to undergo gender verification when requested will be excluded from the competition," the regulations state.

Gender policies in sports have always been controversial. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has repeatedly adjusted testosterone standards and the eligibility of transgender or Differences of Sex Development (DSD) athletes. Some sports federations, such as World Athletics, have even stricter regulations, leading to lawsuits and social backlash.

In volleyball, the FIVB remained neutral for many years, until after Aprilia's case. Therefore, theoretically, the regulations could be adjusted in the future due to public pressure or specific cases. However, given the current context, the likelihood of the FIVB relaxing its rules in the short term is low.

Compiled by Hoang An