BBC Launches Volleyball Page 10th January 2008 BBC has launched a Volleyball page on their sports site. With links to the latest stories, results and videos, the pages offer an array of information for the Volleyball enthusiast. Interviews, blogs, photos and updates from in and around the world of Volleyball will be available through the new page and helps put Volleyball on the map for British sports enthusiasts. Picture: Zara Dampney, UK Beach Volleyball, Attacks Ball BBC Volleyball Page

Dr. Acosta hands over FIVB presidency Dr. Acosta hands over FIVB presidency to Mr. Wei at special ceremony in Beijing to celebrate 24 years of unparalleled leadership and start of a ‘new era’ Beijing, August 24, 2008 – Dr. Rubén Acosta officially transferred the FIVB presidency to Mr. Jizhong Wei at a special Handover Ceremony in Beijing on Sunday after 24 years of peerless success as leader of Volleyball’s world governing body. “I am retiring today from the presidency at the closing of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games so that a new era can unfold for the FIVB,” said Dr. Acosta. With his wife Malú by his side, Dr. Acosta delivered a warmly received speech to distinguished guests and media from around the world in which he called for the Volleyball Family to continue to support FIVB President Wei as he embarks on his new role at the FIVB. “Malú and I, we both wish Mr. Wei all the success in his new function and demand all those who during many years accompanied us with loyalty and devotion to Volleyball and all those who gave our sport their trust and support, to relentlessly continue their loyal dedication to FIVB duties in an effort to make possible new achievements and the expansion of Volleyball and Beach Volleyball beyond their existing frontiers,” said Dr. Acosta. “During 24 years Malú and I have done our best to honour the legacy of our founding President Mr. Paul Libaud and we have never failed to come to the forefront in defence of that legacy which we now entrust to Mr. Jizhong Wei and his collaborators for them to maintain with care and honesty the respect of the FIVB general interest and image,” said Dr. Acosta. Dr. Acosta accepted the FIVB Executive Committee proposal approved by acclamation at the 31st FIVB World Congress to become FIVB Honorary Life President to continue guide the organisation and said, “together with my wife Malú, Honorary Advisor, whenever required by Mr. Wei, we will be ready to support his action, if needed, in the best interest of our sport.” Dr. Acosta made official his previously announced retirement at the end of the World Congress in June in Dubai, with the Congress unanimously electing FIVB First Executive Vice President Wei as incoming President. Mr. Wei will be President until elections in 2012. Mr. Wei, whose past roles have included Vice President and Executive Secretary General of the Chinese Olympic Committee, paid tribute to Dr. Acosta’s stellar achievements over a memorable 24 years. “Today, FIVB became one of the most well-organized international sports federations with modern sports concepts, with professional officials and orchestrated by democratic and fair principles,” said President Wei. “Dr. Rubén Acosta, we enjoy all your achievements.” “The FIVB can be sure that I will continue the march in advance you initiated and try my best to reach the high expectations you put on us,” said President Wei. Dr. Acosta was elected President of the FIVB for the first time at the 19th FIVB World Congress in Long Beach, California, USA, in 1984, taking over from founding President Paul Libaud. As Volleyball's ambassador, Dr. Acosta tirelessly promoted the sport worldwide and oversaw the spectacular development of Volleyball into the success story it is today, changing the face of the game to attract fans, sponsors and television through innovative management, creation of events and rule changes. Part of Dr. Acosta’s legacy is handing over to President Wei the largest sporting federation in the world in terms of Members, increasing the number of affiliated National Federations from 154 to 220. The institution enjoys solid financial health, which guarantees its complete independence. It has an efficient administrative structure, training and development centres all over the world and a programme of high quality sports competitions. Moreover, Volleyball and Beach Volleyball feature among the main disciplines of the Olympic programme. Dr. Acosta’s crowning achievement was in realising his and wife Malú Acosta’s dream of creating a fitting home for Volleyball’s future generations. The result of their endeavour was the creation of “Château Les Tourelles,” FIVB’s stunning new headquarters on the banks of Lac Léman in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Womens Olympic Beach Volleyball Roundup

May-Treanor/Walsh of US claim Beach Volleyball gold (BEIJING, August 21) -- Defending champions Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh of the United States won the gold medal in the Olympic Women's Beach Volleyball competition by beating Tian Jia and Wang Jie of China in straight sets, 21-18, 21-18. Despite facing stern competition from the Chinese team in the first set, the US duo won four out of the last five points to win the first set 21-18. The US team won the first three points of the second set, but a mistake by the American duo allowed the Chinese team back into the match. A pair of aces by the hard-serving veteran of the Chinese team, Tian Jia, gave her and Wang a 9-8 lead. With heavy rain causing the ball to be extremely slippery, the Chinese team tried hard to defeat the US pair, which are yet to lose a match in Olympic competition. However, both May-Treanor and Walsh were able to quickly anticipate Tian and Wang's offensive moves, while Walsh scored many points through blistering smashes. The US pair wrapped up the match by winning the second set 21-18. Tian and Wang's silver medal is only the second Olympic medal that China has won in Beach Volleyball, following on from the bronze medal won by Zhang Xi and Xue Chen in the preceding match. Zhang and Xue beat Renata Ribeiro and Talita Rocha of Brazil in straight sets to win the bronze medal. Wang Jie and Tian Jia, Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor and Xue Chen and Zhang Xi. (Photo credit: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) (L-R) Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor celebrate their victory. (Photo credit: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Mens Olympic Beach Volleyball Roundup

No. 2 seeds crowned in Men's Beach Volleyball (BEIJING, August 22) -- Philip Dalhausser and Todd Rogers of the United States won the gold medal by defeating Fabio Magalhaes and Marcio Araujo of Brazil 2-1 (23-21, 17-21, 15-4) on Friday in a thrilling final match in the Olympic Men's Beach Volleyball competition. The Brazilian duo found form early in the first set, and Fabio's block gave the Brazilian side a 6-1 lead. However, the US pair clawed back into the match, with Dalhausser showing why he has been named the best blocker in Beach Volleyball for the past two years. The 2.06m-tall American put in a pair of blocks that gave his team an 11-10 lead. The set was evenly matched, but Fabio smashed the ball into the net and gave his opponents a narrow 23-21 win in the first set. In the second set, Dalhausser blocked to earn his team a 9-8 lead, which was extended through a dink spike by Rogers. Dalhausser's heavy spike changed the score to 13-10. Double blocks by Fabio helped his team establish a margin of three points. After the score was tied on 15-15, the Brazilian duo managed a 6-2 run which helped them beat the US pair 21-17 and force the match into a third set. The deciding set was much less competitive than expected. After an early 6-1 lead, Dalhausser stole the show by exhibiting his amazing defensive abilities with three consecutive blocks. Fittingly, it was his block that ended Fabio's spike and wrapped up the third set 15-4. (L-R) Fabio Magalhaes/Marcio Araujo, Philip Dalhausser/Todd Rogers and Ricardo Santos/Emanuel Rego (Photo credit: Gaesang Dawa/Xinhua) Philip Dalhausser blocks a shot from Fabio Magalhaes. (Photo credit: Vladimir Rys/Bongarts/Getty Images)

Womens Olympic Volleyball Roundup

Brazil wins first Olympic Women's Volleyball gold (BEIJING, August 23) -- Coming off a seventh FIVB World Grand Prix title, World No. 1 Brazil won its first Olympic Women's Volleyball gold medal, beating the United States 25-15, 18-25, 25-13, 25-21 in the final on August 23. The match gave the dominant Brazilians their only dropped set of the tournament. The match kicked off with top scorers Logan Tom of the United States and Paula Pequeno of Brazil trading shots until a triple block from Brazil's Sheilla Castro, Marianne Steinbrecher and Fabiana Claudino blew their team's lead out to 18-10. Pequeno's service aces clinched the first set in Brazil's favor. In the second set, the US team took an early 5-1 lead with double spikes by Tom and Tayyiba Haneef-Park. Walewska Oliveira of Brazil and Steinbrecher applied pressure on the net to slow down the American attackers but to no avail as the United States prevailed 25-18 -- ending Brazil's set streak at 22. Brazil, led by Claudino, opened the third set strongly and advanced to an 8-5 lead at the first technical time-out. The United States were struggling with their ball-handling, whereas the Brazilian hitters were driving deep down both sides of the court. Steinbrecher's powerful left-side spike ended the set at 25-13. In the fourth set, Castro's left-side spikes continued to trouble the US team' defense but Kimberly Glass of the United States matched her Brazilian rival's intensity to help tie the scores at 10-10. Claudino and Steinbrecher paired again to dominate the net, while Haneef-Park managed on occasion to penetrate Brazil's tight defense with some quick spikes. Two killer blocks by Claudino and Castro and a wild shot by Tom ended the set and the match in the South Americans' favor, leaving the US team with their second Olympic silver medal since the Los Angeles 1984 Games. Logan Tom (R) of the United States spikes the ball. (Photo credit: Xinhua) China wins Women's Volleyball bronze (BEIJING, August 23) -- The Chinese Women's Volleyball team, Athens 2004 champion, reached the Olympic podium again, beating Cuba 25-16, 21-25, 25-13, 25-20 to win bronze in Beijing. China's defense of gold ended in the semifinals in a loss to Brazil, but the team showed championship mettle in the first Volleyball medal match in Beijing, ending Cuba's Olympic Women's Volleyball medal streak at four. Cuba won gold in Sydney, Atlanta and Barcelona and bronze in Athens. Cuba opened the first set firmly and advanced to 6-2 before China managed to catch up and Wang Yimei speared two consecutive kills on the left-side to tie the score 6-6. Zhou Suhong's right-side hitting caused more Cuba trouble. China's frontline hitters were on-target but in contrast Cuba struggled to control the first ball. Yanelis Santos committed a lifting violation that ended the set 25-16. Cuba took an early lead in the second set before Zhao Ruirui's back-slide tied the score 12-12. Cuba missed on their reception and serve before Yumilka Ruiz took charge and gave them a comfortable 22-19 lead. Ruiz scored on two more attacks that clinched the set for Cuba 25-21. Ruiz continued to play a patient offense. She was denied twice on the block but managed to score on her last attempt. China's block grew stronger and they silenced Ruiz and the other Cuban hitters and, because the Cubans could not keep up with the Chinese counter-attack, the third set ended 25-13. In the fourth set, Feng Kun single-blocked Ruiz's left-side attack to go into the first technical time-out. Led by Rosir Calderon, Cuba tried to catch up on attack and were able to cut the lead to one point, but errors haunted them; China took the lead and Zhao's quick hit on the middle sealed the victory 25-20. Zhao Ruirui (L) of China reacts alongside teammates. (Photo credit: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Mens Olympic Volleyball Roundup

US claims third Olympic Volleyball title (BEIJING, August 24) -- The United States claimed its third Olympic Men's Volleyball gold medal after defeating Athens Olympic champion Brazil 20-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-23 to complete the tournament with a perfect record. The United States was Olympic champion at Los Angeles 1984 and Seoul 1988 and this year won the FIVB World League for the first time. The first set had many service errors from both sides. Brazil's offense finally prevailed when Andre Heller attacked the middle and closed the first set 25-20. The United States overpowered Brazil with their spikes and blocks in the second set and took a 6-0 lead. Brazil managed to trim that when they strengthened their block against the American hitters and narrowed the gap to 17-15. The set was tight but William Priddy and Clayton Stanley led the US attack. Stanley could not be denied and hit two consecutive kills to finish the set 25-22. The US team broke loose in the third set with blocks on Dante Amaral and Andre Nascimento. Brazil's coach Bernardo Rezende had to send in Bruno Rezende, Murilo Endres and Samuel Fuchs to renew their offense, but Brazil still struggled and lost 25-21 on a Fuchs' service error. Brazil committed two service errors early in the fourth set but Gilberto Godoy Filho attacked strongly to lead the Brazilian offense. Gustavo Endres made crucial blocks that gave Brazil the lead. The final moments of the fourth set were a battle between Stanley and Godoy Filho as they exchanged spikes. Stanley's efforts proved more valuable as he tied the score, then stole the lead from Brazil. Godoy Filho felt the pressure as he committed errors at the end of the set. A Stanley spike gave the United States the gold medal, winning the set 25-23. United States players and coach Hugh McCutcheon celebrate. (Photo credit: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) The United States defeated Brazil 3-1 to take the Men's Volleyball gold medal at the Beijing Olympic Games on Sunday. The US team won the final in four sets (20-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-23). Straight-sets win earns Russia second straight bronze (BEIJING, August 24) -- Russia has won its third Men's Volleyball medal in three consecutive Olympic Games, winning a second straight Olympic bronze by beating Italy 25-22, 25-19, 25-23 on Sunday, August 24. Italy, silver medalist in Athens, finishes the Men's Volleyball tournament without a medal for the first Olympics since Barcelona 1992. Russia kicked off the set with rock-solid defense digging up all spikes from the Italian attackers. Instead of setting, Sergey Grankin's spike into the court caught Italy's defense off-guard to give the Russians a 14-7 lead. Alessandro Fei's speedy middle court spikes managed to bring the score closer but Alexander Kosarev's left-court spike ended the first set in Russia's favor. Maxim Mikhaylov and Alexander Volkov led Russia's attacking rhythm hitting on-target from all corners of the court. Italy struggled with their first-hand receptions and could not set up any decent combination play to match Russia's blocking intensity. Matteo Martino's service error wrapped up the set 25-19, giving Russia a decisive lead. The last set was tilted towards Russia as well, as the team moved ahead of Italy at 8-6 in the first technical timeout, but Vigor Bovolenta of Italy forced a tie at 9-9 with his impressive right-court spikes. Mikhaylov and Alexander Kosarev led Russia's offence again driving deep down spikes to penetrate Italy's tall blocking. Volkov's quick spike finished off the set point and the match. Russian players celebrate their victory. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

Olympic Volleyball and Beach Volleyball tickets sell out months ahead of Beijing 2008

May 7, 2008 Further underlining the continued success of Volleyball and Beach Volleyball as Olympic disciplines is the news that tickets for the tournaments at the Beijing Games have already been sold out. The Beijing Organizing Committee (BOCOG) has confirmed that internet sales for tickets have closed more than three months ahead of the August 8-24 Summer Games. BOCOG is keeping back a small percentage of tickets to sell on a daily basis at the Volleyball and Beach Volleyball venues during the Men’s and Women’s tournaments. The Olympic Volleyball Tournament will be played in two venues, the 18,000-seater Capital Indoor Stadium, which will be the main venue, and the 5,000-seater Beijing Institute of Technology Gymnasium. The 12,000-seater Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground will host the Olympic Beach Volleyball Tournament. The popularity of Volleyball has gone from strength to strength since it was first introduced as an Olympic sport at the Tokyo Games in 1964, while Beach Volleyball made its bow at the Atlanta Games in 1996 and has seen fans packing out tournaments ever since. The rush for tickets mirrors the television success enjoyed by Volleyball during the Olympic Games. The sport was recognised after Athens 2004 as one of the most popular Olympic sports on television, with 3.5 billion viewer hours according to official figures reported by the International Olympic Committee. There will be 12 Men’s and 12 Women’s National Teams taking part in the Olympic Volleyball Tournaments and 24 Men’s and 24 Women’s pairs competing in the Olympic Beach Volleyball Tournaments.

Stavanger to host 2009 SWATCH FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships Lausanne, February 29, 2008 – FIVB President Rubén Acosta announced on Friday that the 2009 SWATCH FIVB Beach Volleyball Men's and Women's World Championships will be hosted in Stavanger, Norway. "It was a long and fair battle between Moscow and Stavanger to win the bid, but in the end the experience gained by Norway in organising major Beach Volleyball events over the past few years prevailed," said Dr. Acosta. "It will be really tough for Stavanger to present an event better than the last edition in Gstaad, but next year I'm expecting the best World Championships ever." Bjorn Maaseide, a world-class Beach Volleyball player, is the man behind the Stavanger project: "This is the biggest victory ever in Beach Volleyball for Norway," he said. "After 10 years of tournaments, a dream comes true. We beat Moscow thanks to the great support of our Institutions, the Minister of Culture, the Norwegian Olympic Committee and Stavanger's Mayor. "We're delighted to be the first Northern Europe country to host an FIVB World Championship and NRK will give its best as host broadcaster, showcasing the Beach Volleyball stars and the beauty of the host city all over the world," Maaseide said. The official signing ceremony and exchanging of contracts to confirm Stavanger as hosts of the tournament will be conducted in the near future. The 2009 SWATCH FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships are set to take place over 10 days on two courts from June 26 to July 5 as part of an innovative new tournament formula proposed by Stavanger, with total Prize Money of US$1 Million. Stavanger has been a fixture on the SWATCH FIVB World Tour calendar for 10 years, hosting Opens and Grand Slams. The chosen city will hope to emulate and improve upon the huge success of the 2007 SWATCH FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships powered by 1to1 energy in Gstaad, Switzerland. The 2005 World Championships were held in Berlin, 2003 in Rio de Janeiro, 2001 in Klagenfurt, Austria, 1999 in Marseille, France and 1997 in Los Angeles. Before this, the World Championships were played yearly in Brazil from 1986. Stavanger to host 2009 SWATCH FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships

Volleyball to chicken rearing - the youth of Zambia show off their entrepreneurial skills! What started out as five teenagers playing volleyball has led to an exciting new youth project in Mabwetuba, Mazabuka. Like most teenagers, the five friends hung around with little to do. The village has few opportunities but the friends decided to start a volleyball club which was easier said that done as they had no ball, no court and no net! Plastic grocery bags were transformed into a ball and a space cleared behind the community's health clinic. Before long, the group had grown to 17 members including six girls. They ranged in age from 12 to 22 years and most had experienced the death of one parent largely due to AIDS. About half the group were unable to attend school as they had to look after younger children at home. Some of group were HIV positive. As the numbers grew, the group decided to charge a small membership fee and appointed a treasurer, a secretary and a chairperson. Soon they were able to buy their own volleyball and net. Chairman of group Trust Mwemba continues, "One day, Plan's community development facilitator Fines Mweene stopped by the court to talk to us, he saw our enthusiasm for the game, our desire to stay out of trouble and for trying to make some money, so he decided that he would donate two additional balls. "We then decided to start a garden and Plan supported us to buy seeds for tomatoes, cabbages, rape seed and okra. Those of us in charge of households were given maize and bean seeds for the farming season. In November last year, Plan gave us six of us training in tailoring and gave us a started kit of six sewing machines. We are now able to support our families, we mostly make school uniforms and selling them locally. We contribute some of our earnings to a group fund and use this money to pay medical expenses for those who cannot afford to pay. So far we've help five members with medical bills. As the months go by, our group is becoming more entrepreneurial, we've started chicken rearing and passing chickens on to other members to rear more". The friends now called themselves Nadezwe Youth Advocacy Group and Plan continues to support them with training in child rights and HIV/AIDS awareness raising. Link Here

Russian team on top of the World February 6, 2008 Volleyball: Russian team on top of the World Volleyball fans were treated to a global all-star game on Druzhba arena in Moscow on Tuesday. The Russian national team was pitted against the rest of the world. 2008 marks the 60th anniversary of the International Volleyball Federation and 85 years since the sport was introduced in Russia. To celebrate the occasion an all star event was held in the Russian capital. The first such game was played back in 2005, when Russian club volleyball had only just begun to raise its profile and many top international players started to flock to the national league. Since then the country's Super League has attracted the likes of Italian coach Danielle Bagnole, top Brazilian spiker Giba and leading U.S. players Lloy Ball and Clayton Stanley. The current year is especially important for the Russian head coach Vladimir Alekno whose job it is to take the best possible squad at the summer Olympics in Beijing. But the Russian and international volleyball stars weren't the only ones in the spotlight at the sold-out Druzhba arena in Moscow. The country's top government officials led by the President Vladimir Putin put additional pressure on the national team by sitting in the centre row. The professionals did not flinch in front of the special guests, easily overpowering the world team in three straight sets.

Volleyball going awry - Kenya Volleyball going awry - Kenya Publication Date: 2/4/2008 The Kenya Volleyball Federation is about to make changes in the national women’s team after its failure to qualify for this year’s Olympic Games in Beijing. Kenya last month lost Africa’s sole ticket to Algeria. The federation now says it will dissolve the team and pick a new squad. But that is definitely not the long term solution to the problems that have affected the team that was once Africa’s undisputed champion. Going by its revolving-door policy, the KVF is bound to find itself picking “new” players from the same squad that has been playing for Kenya in the recent past as there isn’t a reliable reservoir of talent to avoid recycling. It’s time the federation’s officials realised that they are indeed part of the problem. The KVF lacks any meaningful development programme and only depends on players who graduate from school and in whom they have invested little in terms of coaching and exposure. The federation has often in the past concentrated on fielding the women’s team at expenses-paid tournaments like the World Cup and World Championships, ignoring all other development programmes. Even within the national team itself, federation officials are notorious for often interfering with the work of the coaches, especially when it comes to the selection of the national teams. The welfare of the players has never been a priority and in most cases, teams have to make do without allowances when on national duty. It is, therefore, a misplaced thought by the KVF to disband the team after missing the Beijing ticket, and wish away other pertinent issues that have led to Kenya’s slump in the game. A solid youth development programme, and the strengthening of lower-tier leagues, coupled with more exposure of coaches is the way to go if Kenya hopes to retain its hitherto tag of Africa’s volleyball queens.

New Mikasa Ball The new Mikasa ball: technical guide The new ball has been softened compared to the Mikasa MVP200. The panels shape has been completely redesigned. Cover material and the way of cementing carcass and panels have been changed: only line part, and not the complete carcass, is now glued. The new ball was tested with the best available technologies by the laboratories from Mikasa. They report that new balls bounce higher with less impact-power (softer) due to improved constructions. Ball flying orbit got stable, avoiding sudden drop, thanks to new panel shape and cover material. Moreover, the new model fly stable with dimples on the cover (with panel shape change) and controllability when tossing and receiving was improved (found at field tests by Mikasa Corporation) with better gripping. Two different designs were showed to the press and will be presented to World Cup teams, to ask for their opinion. One is similar to the typical Volleyball standard; one shows a more innovating look. New Ball November 2007

Volleyball for All The Volley All Festival also attracted in many cases local sponsors to work with the National Federations organizing this spectacular open and free activity for children which received t-shirts, caps, posters and balls for their participation. This first Volley All Festival reached all Continents and of course different approach and methods were applied but the main principles to organize a quality event where fun and entertainment prevailed was the main theme in this years mass Volleyball festival. The FIVB Development Commission is following closely up on the mass Volleyball concept and how to organize mass Volleyball events and it is foreseen that several courses related to the mass Volleyball strategy will be organized in 2008 in various Development Centres. This years photo is from the Volley All Festival in Germany which truly shows the spirit of how to prepare the mass Volleyball courts. The FIVB Development Commission was very satisfied with the initiative of the German Volleyball Federation and for the quality of the event. The promotion of the Argentinian Volleyball Federation must also be acknowledged as the poster made for the Volley All festival showed both passion and art when promoting the event as a proper communication and advertising are key factors when selling the event to the sponsors as well as the public. In Haiti another surprise story from this years event showed that the venue is not always the obstacle but rather the place where the opportunity lies. In the park called Champ de Mars 30 trucks moved tons of sand to play Beach Volleyball in a recreational park. The event also attracted the Mayor of Port-au-Prince as well as the Minister of Sports in this 2 day event where more than 40’000 people enjoyed the mass Volley atmosphere. The next Volley All Festival will take place next year in the week before or after July 1st. 2008 and this event is open for all FIVB National Federations. Let’s keep the ball flying! 01.11.2007 Volleyball for All

Foreign Players to be Limited?

One of the most important comments in the last weeks was the press release where the FIVB announced the limitation of foreign players on the court in clubs competitions. “We will forward this proposal to our next Board of Administration in March but I would like to stress that our first goal is to protect the young players’ right to play which is the key point: we need to promote local players, who will represent their country in our sport, to reach the court earlier in their career and not to be blocked by players affiliated to other Federations. National identity is reinforced through sports, and the last decision by the European Community in Porto seems to go in our same direction. We don’t want to stop the world’s top players to play in the best Leagues, but we will propose to the Board of Administration to have in each team a maximum of three players affiliated to another National federation, and a maximum of two on the court. In this way, younger players will have more opportunities to play at top level in their own countries side by side with the best players from any country.” Link FIVB