FIVB Instructor André Glaive and VCP Coaches Level 1 Course participants in Brazzaville

 

Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, March 3, 2015 - Twenty-one coaches have gathered at the Congolese Volleyball Federation's headquarters in Brazzaville for a VCP Coaches Level 1 Course directed by FIVB Instructor André Glaive.

The Congolese National Federation is promoting the sport across all parts of the country and the course has been proposed to coaches from different cities, including Pointe Noire, Kinkala, Dolisie, Bouenza and Sangha.

The course began on March 4 and ends on Wednesday. It will see participants aim to acquire as much knowledge as possible about the basic techniques of the game. Participants will also be introduced to the best training techniques for young players.

President Graça spoke of a new era for volleyball 

Lausanne, Switzerland, September 12, 2014 - As the city of Trieste prepares to host two rounds of the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship Italy 2014, FIVB President Dr. Ary S. Graça F° spoke to the official website of the Trieste Local Organising Committee (www.triestevolley2014.it) about the beginning of a new era for volleyball.

President Graça, volleyball is having a magical season globally - now in Poland (men), and in Italy (women) in the next few weeks. What growth do you expect for the sport after two extraordinary events?

You are absolutely right. This season has pushed volleyball into a new era of sports entertainment and innovation, which has never been reached before.

Ica, Peru, September 12, 2014 – NORCECA Confederation continues to follow up the anti-doping educational program that began two years ago addressed to players and medical staff of teams taking part in the different regional volleyball competitions.

The program was implemented by the NORCECA Medical Commission under the presidency of Dr Victor Figueroa.

The most recent activity is taking place in Peru on the occasion of the second edition of the U23 Women’s Pan American Cup where a total of eight teams are competing – Argentina, Colombia and Peru from South America and Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago from NORCECA.

Khartoum, Sudan, September 2, 2014 - Even after very heavy rainfall, which left puddles of water in many areas of Khartoum, the FIVB Level 1 Coaches Course scheduled in the capital of Sudan was officially opened as planned. Mr Mohammed Sahle, who is responsible for Training and Development at the Ministry for Youth and Sports in Sudan, welcomed the participants.
 
The Director of the FIVB Khartoum Development Centre, Mr Omer Elhaj Mohamed, members of the Executive Committee of the Sudanese Volleyball Federation, and of course the two FIVB Instructors - Mr Bernard J Denis (from the Seychelles) and Course Director  Dr. Atef Rashard (from Egypt) - were all in attendance at the Opening Ceremony.
 
The Director of the Development Centre urged the course participants to make full use of the opportunities being offered to them to further their personal development and most importantly the level of volleyball in Africa. He also thanked the FIVB for its continuing support.

Tunis, Tunisia, August 26, 2014 - A second FIVB Level I Coaching Course was held from August 4 to 15 at the FIVB Development Centre in Tunis, Tunisia following the popularity of the original course which took place from June 3 to 14.

A total of 23 men and six women participated with French instructor Eric Ngapeth and local instructor Mohamed Ben Mustapha taking charge.

With spaces limited on the original course and a huge increase in demand from future physical education teachers the decision was made to add a second event to the calendar.

The course forms part of the four FIVB sponsored activities taking place this year, with a final Technical Seminar for Teachers taking place from November 4 to 8.

A number of young children have now taken up the sport in Tunisia following the successful introduction of Mini Volley by National Technical director Kamel Rekaya. It is hoped that the increase in the number of coaches will help develop the sport further in the country.

Philip Amissah (left) and Nicholas Tetteh (center) of Ghana with coach Edward Seidu Ajanako as the team finished as the top African team in the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympics.

Nanjing, China, August 24, 2014 - It wasn’t their placement that had Philip Amissah and Nicholas Tetteh excited here Sunday after playing their final Beach Volleyball match at the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games.

Yes, the two 16-year old players were ”honored” to finish as the top African team in the men’s event at the Nanjing Sports Park Complex after reaching the elimination rounds in the inaugural Beach Volleyball competition at the Youth Olympics.

Yes, Amissah and Tetteh were “pleased” by winning three matches over teams from the Virgin Islands, Peru and Iran after being initially “disappointed” in losing their first two pool play confrontations to more experienced teams from France and Puerto Rico.

FIVB President Dr. Ary S. Graça F° (left) is joined by TBS President Mr Toshichika Ishihara (centre) and JVA President Dr. Yuichiro Hamu (right)

Tokyo, Japan, August 25, 2014 - The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and the Japan Volleyball Association (JVA) are pleased to announce an agreement with longstanding partners Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings, Inc (TBS) to broadcast the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, which will take place in Japan. TBS has been granted exclusive event media rights in the host country.

The 2018 edition of the Women's World Championship is the next event of its kind, after the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship Italy 2014, which will take place from September 23 to October 12. Japan has played a key role in the development of the competition in recent years, hosting the last two Women's World Championships in Tokyo in 2010 and Osaka in 2006. Earlier competitions were held in Tokyo in 1998 and 1967, while the Men's World Championship also enjoyed successful events in Tokyo in 2006 and 1998.

Lausanne, Switzerland, August 23, 2014 – Teams are warming up, the stadiums are preparing for thousands of fans, and excitement is hardly containable, as the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship Poland 2014 gets set to begin in one week.

On August 30, the top 24 men’s volleyball teams in the world will begin their battle for the most prestigious title in volleyball.

Six Polish cities - Katowice, ?ód?, Wroc?aw, Gda?sk, Bydgoszcz and Kraków – will simultaneously host the FIVB Men’s World Championships. 

Poland and Serbia are scheduled for the first encounter at 20:15 local time, in the 58,000 capacity National Stadium in Warsaw.

View the full match schedule

The 24 teams were decided following a qualifying process, which started in 2012, involved a record number of 279 countries and concludes in July 2014. 

The 24 countries competing in the FIVB Men’s World Championship Poland 2014 are split according to the following vacancies: South America (three), Asia (four), Europe (nine including hosts Poland), Africa (three) and NORCECA (five). 

Abdelhady Ghzali is joined by the course participants

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, August 19, 2014 - A Volleyball Management Course was organised by the African Volleyball Confederation (CAVB) in the capital city of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, from August 11-15.

The course, which was held at the country's Customs Directorate's training centre, was given by Abdelhady Ghzali from Morocco. There were 25 participants - all with a background in volleyball - including four women.

The seminar covered several subjects, including information about the CAVB and the FIVB, the role of national federations, development strategies and sports marketing.

Nanjing, China, August 20, 2014 - With the 136 men’s and women’s Beach Volleyball athletes from 50 national Olympic committees enjoying a “rest” day at the Nanjing 2014 Youth Games, the competition for the 24 berths in each gender’s single-elimination bracket are taking shape entering the final two days of pool play matches.

The men’s competition features three pools where pairs from Germany (B), Russia (E) and Ukraine (D) are the only unbeaten teams with 3-0 match marks after the completion of play here Tuesday at the Beach Volleyball venue in the Nanjing Sports Park Complex.

The other three pools have a tie atop the standings.  Two of the groups (A and F) could decide the out-come of assembled tandems Friday with the winner of each of the matches in line to secure a first-round “bye” when single-elimination play begins Sunday.  Pool C’s leaders play Thursday and could decide the top team in the group depending on Friday’s final matches.

With 3-0 match marks to date, Uruguay and Kazakhstan are tied for the lead in Pool A, France and Puerto Rico in Pool C and Indonesia and Venezuela in Pool E.  In addition to the pool winners earning a “bye” in the first-round of elimination play, the two “best” second-place teams will earn a “free” advancement to the second-round of bracket competition.  Here is the breakdown for the men’s competition.

Pool A - The teams of Yegor Dmitriyev/Sergey Polichshuk of Kazakhstan and Marco Cairus/Mauricio Vieyto of Uruguay (24) must defeat teams from Finland and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Thursday to set up match of unbeatens Friday.  The Finnish pair of Miro Maattanen/Santeri Siren are 2-1 in the competition with their only setback being to the Uruguay tandem Monday.

Pool B - Niklas Rudolf and Eric Stadie are the only unbeaten team in the group with remaining matches against Congo and New Zealand.  Brazilians Arthur Mariano/George Wanderley and Kiwi’s Nate Moore/Kahurangi Robinson are 2-1 in the pool.  The South Americans lost to the Germans Monday and defeated Moore and Robinson Tuesday.

Pool C - The pairs of Arnaud Gauthier-Rat/Arnaud Loiseau of France and Sergio Figueroa/Daniel Rivera of Puerto Rico met Thursday for the out-right leadership in the pool.  Luis Bramont-Arias and Jimy Heredia of Peru are 2-1 and challenge the French Friday after losing to the Puerto Ricans Tuesday.

Pool D - Illia Kovaliov and Oleh Plotnytskiy of Ukraine are alone at the top of the group with a 3-0 record.  The Ukrainians finish with matches against 2-1 teams on Thursday (Surin Jongklang/Banlue Nakprakhong of Thailand) and Friday (Jake MacNeil/Andrew Richards of Canada).  Santiago Aulisi and Leandro Aveiro of Argentina are 2-1 and play the Thai’s on Friday.  The Argentinians have defeated the Canadians and lost to the Ukrainians.

Pool E - Oleg Stoyanovskiy and Artem Yarzutkin of Russia are 3-0 in their group and conclude play against 1-2 Guatemala Thursday and 2-1 Sri Lanka Friday.  Mathias Berntsen and Anders Mol of Norway, who are 2-1 and lost to the Russians Monday, meet Chamika Mallawa and Siddihaluge of Sri Lanka Thursday as both teams are still in contention for a possible “bye” when elimination play starts.

Curzinha hosted a beach volleyball competition involving both confirmed players and local youth

Curzinha, Cape Verde, August 13, 2014 - Beach volleyball continues to grow in Cape Verde with the national federation promoting the sport at venues like Curzinha, which saw local youngsters participate in two days of activities from August 8-9.

The locality of Curzinha is on the island of Santo Antao, Cape Verde, about 26kms from the city of Ribeira Grande, which attracts large numbers of tourists every year. The mild climate and expansive beaches are ideal for holiday makers, but also for the sport of beach volleyball. The local youth are gradually turning to a variety of new sporting activities and the Cape Verde National Federation are keen to develop cooperation between the local authorities and hotels to help promote the sport in the area.

Anastasija Kravcenoka (center) hits at the net against ekaterina Lassyuta (left) of Kazakhstan as Latvian partner Tina Graudina follows the action at the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games at the Nanjing Sports Park Complex Sunday.

Nanjing, China, August 17, 2014 - The first day of women’s Beach Volleyball competition at the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games featured impressive debuts for several countries here Sunday at the venue in the Nanjing Sports Park Complex.

With the women’s matches being played at the Beach Volleyball venue where 3,300 tons of sand was used to construct the four competition and two warm up courts, 18 countries posted wins during the first day of pool play action as only one of the matches was extended to three sets where Tzu-Yi Pan and Yu-Rong Song of Chinese Taipei rallied to defeat Lia Fortunati and Maria Rotti of Uruguay, 2-1 (13-21, 21-18 and 15-12) in 45 minutes.

“It was exciting to get our first match completed, said 16-year old Tina Graudina after she and Latvian partner Anastasija Kravcenoka posted a 2-0 (21-12 and 21-8) win over Yekaterina Lassyuta and Anna Pimenova of Kazakhstan in 24 minutes.  “Despite the damp conditions, the sand was great.  It’s the best sand I have ever played on.  It was also nice to play early in the morning as the weather conditions were ideal.”

The Friendship Games will take place in Gihanga from Friday to Sunday

Gihanga, Burundi, August 15, 2014 - The 5th edition of the African Great Lakes Friendship Games, which will take place from August 15-17, will bring together over 300 nine to 16-year-olds from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, to raise awareness about peace through the practice of sport.

The children participating in the Friendship Games compete in different events. The emphasis is also put on cultural activities, which help to develop awareness on important issues. The event is not just aimed at young people, however: the Games are a unique opportunity to bring together people of different ages and backgrounds from all over the Great Lakes region. They have proved effective in building and strengthening ties among communities, national sports federations and national authorities, and are a true platform for diplomacy through sport.

Egypt's Men's U23 team participated in the 2013 World Championship

Cairo, Egypt, August 14, 2014 - The African Volleyball Confederation (CAVB) has announced that Egypt will host the first ever Men's U23 African Nations Championship in Sharm El Sheikh from November 6-13.

The competition acts as a qualifier for the FIVB World Championship of this age category. The tournament's winner and runners-up will represent Africa in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s U23 World Championship 2015.

IOC President Thomas Bach - "The task of the organizing committee and the IOC was to find the right balance between the safety of the athletes present and the safety of the people of Nanjing and China."

Nanjing, China, August 17, 2014 - Beach Volleyball teams from Nigeria and Sierra Leone will not be competing in the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympics after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Saturday that athletes from affected countries with Ebola will not be participating in the Games.

IOC president Thomas Bach said local Chinese organizers also wanted to prevent an Ebola outbreak in the world's most-populated country.  "The task of the organizing committee and the IOC was to find the right balance between the safety of the athletes present and the safety of the people of Nanjing and China," Bach told a media conference.

The restrictions were announced on Friday, just two days before the opening ceremony and a day after the last of the 3,800 athletes arrived at the Youth Olympic Village  The restrictions were a precautionary measure, Bach said Saturday, and denied the Ebola-hit countries were banned from the Youth Olympics.  "There is no ban or sanction. We left it then to the relevant countries to make their own decisions," the IOC president said.

The FIVB Volleyball Cooperation Programme Level I Coaches Course was held in the African nation of Benin last August 4 to 11

Cotonou, Benin, August 14, 2014 – The FIVB Volleyball Cooperation Programme reached the African nation of Benin for a Level I Coaches Course last August 4 to 11.

Local coaches benefitted from an extensive eight-day course covering the key topics on the sport and the training of teams. FIVB instructor and Dakar Development Center Director, Mr Mbaye Deme, conducted the course.

A total of 29 participants – 20 men and nine women – from Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Mali, took part in the programme. These candidates intently participated in the activities of the programme, showing a lot of devotion and eagerness to learn the new coaching trends in volleyball.

Ahmed Salah Abdelhay of Egypt keeps the ball in play

Algiers, Algeria, August 7, 2014 - Egypt's preparations for the 2014 FIVB Volleyball World Championship continued with a 3-0 victory (25-21, 25-23, 25-12) over Algeria in Algiers on Wednesday, where coach Ibrahim Fakhr Eddine tested his players before selecting his final squad for the tournament in Poland.

The match was an opportunity for Egypt coach Ibrahim Fakhr Eddine to try as many players as possible, giving each one time to demonstrate skill and fitness levels ahead of the final squad selection for the World Championship from August 30 to September 21.

Algerian Volleyball Federation President Okba Gougam attended the match between the two countries, which also saw a contract of cooperation between the federations of Algeria and Egypt signed by Egyptian Volleyball Federation representative Adel El Sadawy.

On Sunday, Egypt defeated Tunisia 3-0 a the Palais des Sports in Tunis

Cairo, Egypt, August 5, 2014 - Egypt were 3-0 winners against Tunisia (25-16, 25-22, 25-15) at the Palais des Sports in Tunis, Tunisia, on Sunday, in the first of two friendly matches organised in the build up to the 2014 FIVB Volleyball World Championship.
 
New Egyptian coach Ibrahim Fakhreddine - who also coaches Egyptian giants Al-Ahly - has selected 15 players for the camp in Tunisia, which will be followed by another five-day camp in Algeria, including three friendly matches against the Algerian national team.

The Anti-Doping Outreach Programme booth was visited by players, referees, medical personnel and coaches

Larnaka, Cyprus, August 6, 2014 - An Anti-Doping Outreach Programme was organised at the FIVB U21 Beach Volleyball World Championships in Larnaka, Cyprus from July 25-26.

The programme was conducted in collaboration with the Cyprus Anti-Doping Authority (CYADA) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Participants included beach volleyball players, referees, medical staff and coaches. The aim of the programme was to improve knowledge of anti-doping and proved a success, with about 100 people visiting the booth for information.

London, July 30th: Today Foster’s Radler bought an Australian oasis to the heart of London as it unveiled its very own beach volleyball court in Covent Garden. Members of the public got a chance to go up against Team GB stars Zara Dampney and Lucy Boulton two years after they endured fierce competition on the court at London 2012.

Foster’s Radler delighted local workers and passers-by with a refreshingly different lunch time activity; transforming the piazza into a combination of golden sands (60 tonnes to be exact), great beer and some top athletes demonstrating their skills, it doesn’t get much better on a Wednesday afternoon.

One of Egypt's talents Mohamed Abdelhady

Larnaka, Cyprus, July 25, 2014 – Egypt only lacks one out of the three S’s to make beach volleyball work, says Egypt U21 coach and former player Ahmed Atta. “We have Sun, Sea, but unfortunately not the Sponsors yet.”

The 36-year old Atta competed at the Chennai Challenger and The Hague Open in 2010 and still plays on the national tour, but is also coach of all the national teams in Egypt. This week he coaches Mohamed Abdelhady and Mohamed Sayedin at the FIVB Beach Volleyball U21 World Championships in Cyprus.

It is only the second time that Egypt has taken part in the U21 World Champs, having played in Umag in 2013. In Croatia his team Farag/Fayed did not pass the pool. First timers Abdelhady and Sayedin hope to

Kenya's women's national team will play in World Grand Prix Pool Q

Mexico City, Mexico, July 25, 2014 - Kenya's women's national team arrived in Mexico City on Tuesday evening after a 27-hour journey from Nairobi. Coach David Lungaho's team will play hosts Mexico in Pool Q on Friday at the Olympic Gymnasium Juan de la Barrera.

The team is one of two African representatives in the competition – alongside Algeria. The team departed Nairobi on Monday at 19.00 local time for an eight hour flight to Amsterdam. After an eight hour wait for a connecting flight, they boarded another flight at the Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam at 14.00 for a twelve hour journey that saw them arrive in Mexico City on Tuesday at 18.00 (Wednesday 02.00 – Kenyan time), before going through another grueling one-hour checking-out process.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon speaks at the inauguration of the Sport for Hope Centre in Haiti for which President Graca was a special guest

Port-au-Prince, Haiti, July 19, 2014 - The International Volleyball Federation reaffirmed its commitment to helping disadvantaged communities this week when President Dr. Ary S. Graça F° attended the inauguration of the Sport for Hope Centre in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

President Graça attended the brand new sports facilities along with a number of key IOC representatives, including President Thomas Bach. Senior Haitian government representatives were also in attendance.

President Graça’s presence at the Sport for Hope Centre inauguration was a demonstration of his dedication to society’s progress, education and improvement through sport.

Australia qualified for the Finals after beating France for the Group 2 title

 Lausanne, Switzerland, July 13, 2014 – The FIVB World League Group 1 Finals will get under way in Florence on July 16 and in comments released on Sunday, FIVB President Dr. Ary S. Graça F° has highlighted the excitement, passion and intensity generated by the 25th edition of volleyball’s premier annual men’s tournament.

“The new format of the FIVB Volleyball World League has produced a spectacular 25th edition of the competition, including a fair share of surprises,” Dr. Graça said. “The competition’s six best teams will now gather for the Finals at the Nelson Mandela Forum in the beautiful city of Florence, Italy, from July 16 to 20, where fans will be able to cheer for their teams and participate in a festival of world-class volleyball. Florence is the fourth Italian city to host a World League Final, following Rome, Milan and Genova.”

By: Editor

Lausanne, Switzerland, April 22, 2014 – Accreditation for the Intercontinental Round of the FIVB World League is now open on the FIVB’s Media Club platform.

Once logged into the FIVB Online Accreditation System, media representatives can select the tournament for which they would like to request accreditation.

Representatives who have previously successfully registered through the FIVB's online accreditation system can log in to request accreditation under the 'My Accreditation' tab.

Those media representatives who have not previously registered through the FIVB's online accreditation system, will need to follow the steps detailed here: http://www.fivb.org/en/media/accreditation.asp

The FIVB Volleyball World League is set to begin on May 23 with the Finals taking place in Florence, Italy from July 16 to 20.

The excitement and action of the World League is set to get more intense this year as the 25th edition of the FIVB World League sees the competition increase from 18 to 28 teams split into seven pools of four teams each.

It is the first time the FIVB’s premiere event will feature such a large number of teams having had 16 teams from 2001-2003 and 2006-2012. The World League featured eight teams in its inaugural year in 1990, 10 in 1991, 12 from 1992-2000 and 2004-05 and then 18 in the 2013 edition.