World League 2007 Brazil set to defend for the 4 th consecutive year

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1 Official Bulletin No. 12 February 2007 FÉDÉRATION INTERNATIONALE DE VOLLEYBALL Edition in English World League 2007 Brazil set to defend for the 4 th consecutive year As reigning Olympic Champions, World Champions, World Grand Champions and World League Champions for the fourth year in a row in 2006, Brazil are undeniably the team to beat. Brazil against Russia at the 2006 World League in Moscow Seeded in Pool A, the South Americans will face newcomers Canada, who finished 11 th at the 2006 World Championships in Japan, as well as Korea and Finland. Although Finland are the only team in the competition not to have competed in Japan last year, conversely they are also the only team in the pool that faced Brazil in the 2006 World League, having been seeded in the same pool. Seeded in Pool B, 2006 silver medallists France will once again face world No. 2 Italy in the preliminaries. With the two teams finishing sixth and fifth respectively at the World Championships in Japan, there remains little to separate them in the battle for the top spot. World No. 8 U.S.A. and world No. 10 Japan are the two other teams that stand in the way of France (world No. 7) avenging last year s final defeat to Brazil. Competing for the first time in the World League, the national men s team of Serbia will be the team to watch in Pool C after Serbia and Montenegro s fourth-place finish at the 2006 World Championships three places ahead of Pool C s top seed, Russia, who took the bronze medal at the 2006 World League. Also in Pool C, Egypt will once again represent Africa as the sole team from the continent and Cuba will be looking to avoid a repetition of the 2006 points deadlock that prevented the team from advancing to the Final Round. Seeded in Pool D, Argentina avoid facing World Champions Brazil in the preliminaries as last year, but will instead encounter the World Championship silver and bronze medallists. Poland missed out on a place in last year s final round on the narrowest of points differences with Serbia and Montenegro, while Bulgaria are seeded top after finishing fourth in As the fourth member in a tough group, China desperately needs to improve on their poor performances at the 2006 World League and World Championships as they look ahead to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. FIVB President Acosta presents the 2006 winner s trophy to Brazil s captain Ricardo In this Issue Volleyball World League 2007 World Grand Prix 2007 School Symposium Beach Volleyball U19 World Championships China Sponsorship deals National Federations Interview with FeVA President Confederations AVC events Calendars 2007 Courses and seminars 2007 Global Calendar

2 Volleyball volleyball men FIVB World League 2007 Competition Formula Brazil celebrate at the World Championships in Japan The Intercontinental Rounds will take place over six weekends from 25 May to 1 July Each team will play two matches against the same team on separate days over the same weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). With three rounds at home and three away, there are a total of 12 matches for each team and an overall total of 96 matches in the Intercontinental Rounds. Pool rankings The team rankings per pool are determined by the points total (2 points for a victory, 1 point for a loss) after all matches In the event of a tie at the end of the Intercontinental Round in the number of points scored by 2 or more teams, the teams will be classified according to the total number of points scored in all sets divided by the total number of points lost (points ratio). Final Round: July 2007, Rome, Italy The Final Round will be played over 5 days (10 matches in total). The final six teams will be split into two pools of three teams. In each pool, each country will play against the other teams in its pool. The best two teams in each pool will qualify for the semi-finals. The top team in pool A will then face the sec- ond ranked team in pool B and the second ranked team in pool A will play the top team in pool B. On Day 5, there is the final for the 3 rd place followed by the Final Match. The two 3 rd place teams of each pool tie for 5 th place Intercontinental Round Schedule - Pools and weeks - Double matches - Home/Away Pools and teams Pool A Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week May 1-3 June 8-10 June June June 29 June-1 July Brazil BRA-FIN BRA-KOR BRA-CAN Canada CAN-FIN CAN-BRA CAN-KOR Korea KOR-BRA KOR-CAN KOR-FIN Finland FIN-CAN FIN-KOR FIN-BRA Pool B France FRA-USA FRA-JPN FRA-ITA USA USA-FRA USA-JPN USA-ITA Japan JPN-ITA JPN-USA JPN-FRA Giba could be on track for a third consecutive MVP award in international competition have been played in the Intercontinental Round. The top-ranked team in each pool qualifies for the final round. The host team of the final round automatically qualifies for the final round, together with one wild card team designated by the FIVB. The wild card will be chosen from among the best second-ranked teams. If the host team for the final round is ranked first in its pool, the second-ranked team in this pool will qualify for the final round. Italy ITA-JPN * ITA-FRA ITA-USA Pool C Russia RUS-SRB RUS-EGY RUS-CUB Cuba CUB-EGY CUB-RUS CUB-SRB Egypt EGY-RUS EGY-SRB EGY-CUB Serbia SRB-EGY SRB-CUB SRB-RUS Pool D Bulgaria BUL-ARG BUL-CHN BUL-POL Argentina ARG-BUL ARG-POL ARG-CHN China CHN-POL CHN-BUL CHN-ARG Poland POL-CHN POL-ARG POL-BUL * The match ITA-JPN will be played exceptionnally on weekend 7, from 6-8 July

3 News volleyball women Wilma Blasini has been elected to represent Puerto Rico at the 2007 Miss Universe Beauty Pageant Wilma Blasini, who has been part of the National Women s Volleyball Team of Puerto Rico in several international competitions, will soon represent her country in a world competition where for once she will not be spiking or blocking. volleyball women Kazakhstan to debut in World Grand Prix as replacement for Thailand Following a decision by the Thai government that its top Volleyball team should participate in the Universiade, which will be staged in Bangkok this year, the FIVB s World Grand Prix Council has confirmed that Kazakhstan will be the replacement team from the Asian Volleyball Confederation in the 2007 World Grand Prix. The Thai government s understandable decision as host nation to field the strongest possible Volleyball team at this year s Universiade, which will be held in Bangkok from 8 th - 18 th August 2007, means that the same team cannot compete in the FIVB s annual women s World Grand Prix competition. As the World Grand Prix regulations require the participation of each country s strongest team, the FIVB World Grand Prix Council has approved the replacement of the Thai team by Kazakhstan for the 2007 competition. After making their debut in international competition at the 2006 World Championships in Japan, Kazakhstan will now participate in the FIVB s premier annual women s competition for the first time. From 3 rd - 19 th August they will play the three rounds in Tokyo (Japan), Khabarovsk (Russia) and Osaka (Japan) where they will face the teams of Cuba, Dominican Republic, Japan, Poland, Russia and the U.S.A. The top five teams at the end of the preliminary rounds, plus China as host country, will qualify for the final round, which will be held in Ningbo from 22 nd 26 th August A round-robin tournament will then be played over five days to determine the 2007 World Grand Prix Champion. The 2006 medallists were Brazil, Russia and Italy, with Brazil taking a record third consecutive gold medal and sixth overall. The slender Blasini has been elected to represent Puerto Rico at the 2007 Miss Universe Beauty Pageant. She was selected among participants from the different parts of the Caribbean island during a luxurious show at Puerto Rico s Convention Center last November. Blasini hopes to follow in the footsteps of five Puerto Rican beauty queens that have been crowned while participating in the prestigious contest starting with the election of Marisol Malaret in 1970 and as recently as this year with reining Zuleyka Rivera. She was member of the Carolina Giants team that won the title of the Puerto Rican Women s Superior League three years ago and last season saw action with the Guaynabo Mets squad. Blasini represented Puerto Rico during the 2003 Olympic Qualification Tournament in Santo Domingo and defended the VOLLEYBALL IN SCHOOLS 2007 International Volleyball at School Symposium The 2007 FIVB International Volleyball at School Symposium will be held in Canada in close collaboration with Volleyball Canada, who are also responsible for organizing this event. This is the second time the Volleyball at School Symposium will take place in Canada. This long awaited and unique Symposium will take place in Saskatchewan, Canada from the of June The FIVB has selected National Federations to be guest speakers in this Symposium. These National Federations have made a profound impact on the sport within the educational system in their country. The objective is to show how they are implementing Volleyball at School in their countries and how Volleyball is integrated in their educational system. This event will emphasize the importance of the educational system for the promotion, development and maintenance of Volleyball in all its forms. Symposium participants will have the opportunity to take part in practical and theoretical sessions and discussions. The FIVB and Volleyball Canada are proud to invite the following members of the International Volleyball community to participate in this event: After Volleyball, Wilma Blasini will now represent her country in an altogether different field Puerto Rican colours at the Central American and Caribbean University Games in 2004, which were also staged in the capital of Dominican Republic. l National Federations and their delegates l Government, sport, school leaders l Sport governing bodies l Elected officials l Professional administrators l Coaches of children and youth l Educators l Recreation specialists For further details regarding this Symposium including Hotel accommodation please contact the Organizing Committee: Mark Tennant Tel: Fax: FIVBschoolvolleyball@usask.ca 3

4 Beach Volleyball beach volleyball men & Women Poland to host 2007 SWATCH-FIVB U19 World Championships The sixth annual SWATCH-FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships for players under the age of 19 will be held from 10 th 15 th July 2007 in Myslowice, Poland, the same venue as last year s under 21 competition. The SWATCH FIVB Junior World Championships offer dozens of young athletes a first taste of international Beach Volleyball competition and a chance to compete on the SWATCH FIVB World Tour Beach Volleyball s international circuit offering 8.75 million dollars prize money. The two winning teams for men and women receive a wild card entry for one competition on the tour so that they can test themselves against the world s top professional teams. Many young athletes establish themselves on the international circuit after competing in the annual junior World Championship events. Last year, the SWATCH FIVB U19 World Championship was held at Horseshoe Bay in Bermuda and saw 47 entrants from 19 countries. Australia s Becchara Palmer and Alice Rohkamper the only non-european team to reach the final four for both genders took the 2006 women s gold medal. In the men s competition, U20 European champion Jonathan Erdmann from Germany teamed up with Marvin Klass to capture the title after finishing fourth in The Polish Volleyball Federation will be hoping to build on the success of the U21 World Championships, which were staged in Myslowice last year, to develop young Beach Volleyball talent in the country. Local boys Tomasz Sinczak and Rafal Szternel were beaten by Brazil s Pedro and Bruno in the final and 23 rd -seeded Piotr Marciniak and Krzysztof Orman took the bronze medal, making Poland the first country to claim two SWATCH FIVB U21 World Championship medals in the same event. t The 2006 U19 podiums in Bermuda beach volleyball men & Women Chinese Beach Volleyballers into intense and hard preparation for the Olympic Games With the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games still more than 500 days away, the Chinese Beach Volleyballers have already thrown temselves into intense and hard preparation for the Olympic Games in the newly-built beach volleyball training base in Sanya, a coast and resort city in the most Southern island province of Hainan. Taking part in the training are eight women and six men, including Tian Jia/Wang Jie and Xue Chen/Zhang Yi who placed second and third in the women s world ranking respectively and Wu Penggen/Xu Linyin, who are sixth in the world men s ranking. Miao Zhihong, head coach of the Chinese team, said that they are going to have closed training in the center for 60 days until early March when the Chinese players will go to the United States, continuing their training for almost two months. After the intensive training, the Chinese players will attend 15 legs of the SWATCH FIVB World Tour and try their best to earn enough points to ensure their participation in the Olylmpic Games. The 2007 SWATCH season is the first of two years of the qualifying for the Olympic Games as a team s top eight finishes during the process will count. Zhang/Xue with coach Miao Zhihong in Shanghai 2006 Stare Jablonki 2006 bronze medallists Wu/Xu 4

5 News Beach VOLLEYBALL men & women NESTEA increases its Beach Volleyball involvement as main partner of Berlin Grand Slam 2007 NESTEA s Beach Volleyball engagement has been no secret over the past few years. For four years now the beverage producer s logo has adorned anything and everything associated with the NESTEA European Championship Tour marks the fifth anniversary, this season again with six tournaments. But NESTEA is not done yet. NESTEA has now become the main sponsor of the Berlin Grand Slam of the Swatch-FIVB World- Tour from July This demonstrates the role Beach Volleyball plays in NESTEA s marketing and communications activities. The sport is still in an early development stage so that our brand can occupy the sport early on and grow further together with it, Peter Hatzfeld said, adding that additional sponsorship activities next to the NESTEA Euro Tour and the Beach Volleyball involvements on a national level are also imaginable. This has now become a reality in Berlin, where NESTEA will present itself as a partner of Beach Volleyball in the German will be especially important this year. It is the last Grand Slam and therefore the final major test for the teams prior to the World Championships in Gstaad (Switzerland) from July For Christian Scholbrock, Managing Director at Global Sports Marketing, the Zurich based agency that markets and organises the NESTEA European Championship Tour since 2003 and works also in the same capacity for the Grand Slam in Berlin, NESTEA s Beach Volleyball expansion is proof of the good cooperation: NESTEA is well aware of the impact of this sport sponsorship for their brand. Beach Volleyballís lifestyle character and the values of the NESTEA brand just go together perfectly. Other than China, only two teams from a country can qualify for the Games with Africa guaranted one spot per gender. China ended the 2006 FIVB season with the best-ever results, especially the women players. But Xu Li, Executive Vice-president of the Chinese Volleyball Association reminded all the players taking part in the training that compared with the world s best beach volleyballers, particularly the Brazilians and Americans: We still have a great gap with them. From now on, we must put all of our attention, efforts and training on the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in order to achieve good results. The Chinese Volleyball Association has set the targets for the Chinese team in the Olympic Games. The women players must enter the top eight and go all out for a medal. As for the men, they must do their best to enter the top eight. capital. Four Grand Slam tournaments are part of the Swatch-FIVB World Tour 2007 featuring the world s best men s and women s players with a total of 600,000 US$ each in prize money. The Berlin event Beach VOLLEYBALL men & women Record sponsorship deal for Beach Volleyball in the Netherlands At this year s holiday exhibition in Utrecht, Free Time Promotion and Palm Beer signed a multi-year sponsorship deal for the Palm Beach Life tour along the coast of the Netherlands. The new agreement is a milestone in the history of Beach Volleyball in the Netherlands. With some 10,000 participating teams, the Palm Beach Life Beach Volleyball Tour is the biggest in the world in terms of participants. The partnership with Palm illustrates that the growth of Beach Volleyball in the Netherlands has not gone unnoticed in the world of business. Following the success of the European Championship in Scheveningen, the new contract is a futher sign of Beach Volleyball s growth tp Germany s 2006 NESTEA European Championship Tour points champions Julius Brink and Christoph Dieckmann, left, and Stephanie Pohl and Okka Rau, right in the Netherlands, since it is the biggest ever deal signed in the sport. Michel Everaert, Beach Volleyball Manager for the Netherlands Volleyball Association, is delighted with the new partner. This is a very good development for beach volleyball, he said, adding that Beach volleyball is a genuine event sport and without sponsors it is difficult to organise beach competitions. Furthermore, it s good to see that commercial partners also see that beach volleyball is experiencing explosive growth in the Netherlands. The multi-year contracts with Pleasure Group with Hypotheek Visie and now with Free Time Promotion with Palm guarantee a healthy future for the sport in the Netherlands. 5

6 National Federations volleyball men & women Interview with FeVA President Alejandro Bolgeri FeVA President Alejandro Bolgeri The President of the Argentine Volleyball Federation (FeVA), Alejandro Bolgeri, drew a positive conclusion on the federation s work in 2006, a year full of international competitions. He talked about what was achieved, his ideas about the institutional reconstruction and pending matters looking ahead to the future of Argentina Volleyball. l What is your balance of the year 2006, which included several international competitions? Considering the importance of the longterm project that the Federation is facing, which includes a broad-based renewal of the players of all Argentine National Teams, the balance is positive. We have always said that our aims lie beyond the year l What is the institutional situation at the FeVA after you have been working ther for the last three years? The situation at the Federation is now stable and there is little yet to be done for the reconstruction that I believe was something very important. l Elections are getting closer, how do you see the situation in the country? There is a long path before talking about elections, first, each Federation and each Association must evaluate if the «pattern» that we are carrying out is useful for the development of volleyball all over the country. l What are your feelings on the performance of Argentina at the 2006 World Championship in Japan? I think that if Argentina would have finished two places higher it would have been great, but regretfully the reality was different. l Is the Argentine National Women s Team is a bet for the coming seasons? It is a very hard job that must be done but it must be carried out because Women and Girls teams must improve all together and get more players. We bet on their growing. l The Argentine National Men s Team was the most federal and it had a great preparation during 2006, what do you think about this? I am fully convinced that volleyball must be present in each part of the country because it is the only way to make it grow and that all participate, not just talking about it. l How do you see Argentine Volleyball, the League and the Argentine National Teams? There is still a lot to be done as I see it. We need to broaden the base for growth, we need more development and we need eve- ryone to get involved. The League must strengthen itself, we are on the right path and we must support it. The Argentine National Teams are doing a very serious job and we are very confident of their coaching teams - the ones we chose to take over on this new path. l After 3 years FeVA has its own identity. How do you think it is seen by the volleyball world? The answer is not an easy one. If we consider the inquiries we carry out and the doors that are opening, I believe we have recovered a little of the confidence that Argentine Volleyball had lost. l What are the projects in the short and long run for the FeVA? To go on growing, to keep maturing, to broaden the participation in each corner of the country. In 2006 our affiliates grew 20 per cent but there is a lot still to be done. l What is the main goal of Argentine Volleyball? To be united for always, in all levels, without any deception, with democracy, with open doors for a wide participation. To obtain this, there are some people that must leave aside their differences, we must improve ourselves and learn that to think different is part of any great enterprise. Argentina s veteran captain Marcos Milinkovic takes Rookie Luciano De Cecco under his wing at the 2006 World Championships All Contributions Welcome! Please send your comments and articles by to: press@fivb.org or by mail / fax to: Fédération Internationale de Volleyball Avenue de la Gare 12 CH-1001 Lausanne - Switzerland Tel : +41 (21) Fax: +41 (21)

7 Confederations volleyball men & women The Asian Volleyball Confederation finalizes the 2007 competition schedule The final of 2007 Grand Prix will be played in Ningbo, China, from August 22-26, with the three preliminary rounds held in Tokyo, Osaka, Hong Kong, Macao, Taipei and other European cities in Italy and Russia. The Sport Event Council of the Asian Volleyball Confederation has finalized the 2007 AVC competition schedule, which includes continental qualification for the 2007 Youth World Championships. The 6 th Asian Youth Girls and Boy s Championships will be played from May 7-15 and May 20-28, 2007 in Ratchaburi of Thailand and Gecting Highlands of Malaysia respectively. The two Championships also serve as the qualification tournaments for Women s Under-18 and Men s Under-19 World Volleyball Championships. The top three teams in the Asian youth events will receive tickets to the World Championships. From 1 to 8 June, the 2007 Asian Men s Clubs Championship will be held in Manama, Bahrain, while the same Championship for Women s Clubs will be staged in Vinh Phuc, Vietnam, from June. The AVC SEC said the value and prestige of the Asian Clubs Championships are gradually diminishing with less interest and participations, so they are seriously considering other options. The most important AVC events in 2007 are the 14 th Asian Senior Men s and Women s Championships. The men s event will be played in Jakarta, Indonesia, from 1-9 September with 15 teams participating. From 5-13th September, Thailand will welcome the female stars of Asian Volleyball. Suphanburi City will host the Asian Senior Women s Championship which will draw nine teams will also see the following events in Asia: l VTV Cup Women s Volleyball Invitation from May in Vietnam. l 19 th Asian Men s Pacific Cup in Fukuoka of Japan from June l 3 rd Sting Cup Men s Volleyball Invitation in Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam from November AVC members will also actively host a number of FIVB events. The most important FIVB event to be held in 2007 in Asia is the World Cup in Japan, which is also the first qualification tournament for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, with the top three teams in each gender winning berths in the Olympic Games. Shanghai (China), Sentosa (Singapore), Seoul (Korea) and Phuket (Thailand) will host 2007 SWATCH FIVB World Tour stops for women, while Shanghai, Manama and Bali will stage men s competitions. The highlight of the calendar in Asia this year will be the FIVB World Cup, which China s women won in 2003 Courses and Seminars Calendar - February-March 2007 DATES COURSE PLACE SPONSOR Jan. 23-Feb. 3 Coaches Level I Eritrea FIVB Jan. 30- Feb. 3 VIS Volleyball Information System Morocco FIVB February Coaches Level I Thailand FIVB February Technical Seminar Middle Player Barbados FIVB Feb. 25-March 1 Technical Seminar Middle Player Niger FIVB March Coaches Level II Mauritius FIVB March 29-April 4 Beach Refereeing IRCC Dominican Republic FIVB Volleyball Cooperation Programme Calendar - February-March 2007 DATES COURSE PLACE February Coaches Mauritius Feb. 23-March 28 Refereeing Niger Feb. 25-March 2 Teachers Qatar Feb. 26-March 4 Teachers Ecuador March 5-10 Beach Volleyball Haiti March 29-April 3 Teachers Madagascar 2007 Global Calendar - Competitions and Events - Volleyball and Beach Volleyball DATES EVENT n = Beach Volleyball COUNTRY CONF. M/W Jan. 30-Feb. 8 Top Teams Cup Men, 1/4 Finals Various venues CEV M Jan. 30-Feb.15 Top Teams Cup Women, 1/4 Finals Various venues CEV W February 2-4 Qualifier to the Panamerican Games Uruguay CSV M/W February 6-15 CEV Cup Men, 1/4 Finals Various venues CEV M February 6-15 CEV Cup Women, 1/4 Finals Various venues CEV W Feb. 6-Mar.1 INDESIT European Champions League Women League round Various venues CEV W February 9-11 Qualifier to the Panamerican Games Chile CSV M/W Feb. 13-Mar. 15 INDESIT European Champions League Men Playoffs Various venues CEV W March Top Teams Cup Women Final Four Various venues CEV W March Top Teams Cup Men Final Four Various venues CEV M March Leeward Island Tournament US Virgin Islands NORCECA W March CEV Cup Men Final Four Various venues CEV M March CEV Cup Women Final Four Various venues CEV W March Leeward Island Tournament S. Maarten, Neth. Antilles NORCECA M March Beach Volleyball Continental Championship Boca Chica, Dom. Rep. NORCECA M/W March INDESIT European Champions League Women, Final Various venues CEV W March 31-Apr. 1 INDESIT European Champions League Men, Final Various venues CEV M 7

8 Material & Equipment FIVB Homologated sports material & equipments FIVB EXCLUSIVE APPROVED VOLLEYBALL BALLS MIKASA MVP 200 Exclusive game ball for all FIVB Competitions incl. OG 2008 FIVB APPROVED VOLLEYBALL BALLS MIKASA MVP 200NC MOLTEN IV5XC (MTV5SLIT) GALA BV 5091S CAMBUCI Penalty Volley Pro 6.0 SHOES AND UNIFORMS ADIDAS ASICS CHAMPION Uniforms DACAPO Uniforms DESCENTE MIKASA Uniforms International Referees supplier for Volleyball MIZUNO NIKE QUINGDAO-SYNSHEEN Star VB OLYMPIKUS NATIONMAN 9900 PROFIT TOPPER Uniforms MONDO MONDO 5MF-Pro SYNTHETIC FLOORS FIVB OFFICIAL INSPECTED VOLLEYBALL BALLS MIKASA SV-2 School MIKASA VP500 Park Volley BEACH VOLLEYBALL BALLS MIKASA VLS 200 (colour) Beach Exclusive game ball for all FIVB Competitions incl. OG 2008 MOLTEN VBOS (HSBV5) (colour) Beach HOMOLOGATED POSTS, PADS, ANTENNAE, NETS, REFEREE CHAIR SENOH Posts, pads, nets with antennae & referees chairs are exclusive for all FIVB Competitions incl. OG 2008 TARAFLEX Exclusive for all FIVB Competitions incl. OG 2008 TARAFLEX Taraflex Sport M Plus (7 mm thickness colour Teal 6431 and Coral 6146) over wood sub floors or synthetic sub floors Taraflex Sport Performance Plus (9 mm thickness same colours as above) over concrete sub floors MONDO MONDOFLEX Blue Laguna H23 + Rose Flamingo H41 FIVB RECOMMENDED MONDO MONDOSPORT HP-E PVC indoor floor Blue Laguna H23 + Rose Flamingo H41 National Federations are requested to select material from the list of the FIVB approved sports material World Volley News Official Bulletin of the FIVB Av. de la Gare 12 CH-1001 Lausanne Printed in Switzerland FIVB founded in 1947 Pres. Dr. Rubén Acosta H. Tel Fax Web Site: press@fivb.org Editor: Communication Department No. 12 February 2007