The case of Đặng Thị Hồng has reached a deadlock.

The resolution of the penalty imposed by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) on Đặng Thị Hồng remains at an impasse.

The suspension penalty issued by the FIVB against the young outside hitter Đặng Thị Hồng continues to spark controversy within the Vietnamese volleyball community. More than a month after the incident at the 2025 U21 World Championship in Indonesia, the Vietnam Volleyball Federation (VFV) has yet to receive a clear explanation from the international authorities.

According to VFV General Secretary Lê Trí Trường, the issue began when the organizers received a complaint from a participating team. The organizers then requested VFV to provide original documents for three athletes, including birth certificates.

Although the documents matched the registrations, there were cases where birth certificates were issued 1-2 years later than the actual birth year. After explanations, the organizers decided to conduct SRY genetic testing to detect the presence of the Y chromosome to determine biological sex.

What surprised the public was that FIVB did not communicate the results with VFV but directly informed the Vietnamese athlete. In the document sent back, FIVB only concluded that Đặng Thị Hồng was ineligible to compete without providing detailed explanations. VFV has sent three official requests but has yet to receive an official response, making the appeal process difficult.

In response to this situation, VFV announced it will tighten gender verification procedures at domestic competitions starting in 2026 to prevent similar incidents. National team players may have to undergo tests before the SEA Games. Additionally, if there are suspicions or complaints during competitions, organizers have the right to conduct immediate checks which teams must comply with.

Regarding Đặng Thị Hồng’s case specifically, the player born in 2006 will be barred from participating in VFV-managed tournaments until a new decision is made by FIVB. This effectively means her career could end prematurely at 19. Recently, Hồng has planned to pursue university studies and start an online business for stable income.