With preparations for the 2011 Standing Volleyball World Cup to be staged at the Olympic Stadium during the third week of July proceeding at a hectic pace, the organising committee has announced the appointment of Iran’s Mehdi Ashouri as the first of eight referees for the biennial event.

A well regarded name in volleyball circles, the vastly experienced Ashouri was picked as a WOVD referee in 2010 and has since officiated in 12 matches at international level.

The Iranian first entered the field of sitting volleyball as a referee in 1990 and was made a national referee seven years later.

After attending a 2004 course for international referees in Malaysia, he was elevated to international level two years ago.

At the national level, Mehdi Ashouri has more than 250 matches to his credit and had been in charge of seven major events including the 2010 Asian Para Games in Guangzhou as a zonal referee.

Among three of his most notable references as a match official are the 2010 World Cup for Sitting Volleyball (Men & Women) at Port Said in Egypt, the 2009 Junior Sitting World Cup at Mashhad in Iran and the 2010 World Sitting Volleyball Championships at Edmond, Oklahoma.

On the administrative front, Ashouri is currently the Chairman of Iran’s Sitting Volleyball Referees Committee. He also served as secretary of the Iran Sitting Volleyball Association for a four year term from 2002.