2011 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Cup a great success
The Olympic qualifying edition of the FIVB World Cup completed its length this past Sunday, December 4 in Japan. A total of 12 of the best teams from all across the world travelled to Japan and stayed in the country for two-weeks. After many thrilling encounters,
the Russian squad made it to the top position, while the Poles followed them up in the second slot. The defending champions, Brazil, managed to get hold of the bronze. However, Russia, Poland, and Brazil reserved their berths at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Following the completion of the world’s premier volleyball competition, the coaches and organisers strongly praised the event. The 2nd executive vice-president of FIVB, Theofanis Tsiokris, was truly credited for the success of this drive as he put up huge
effort in monitoring all the operations throughout the tournament.
Tsiokris called it a successful event and disclosed his thoughts in the following manner. He stated: “The FIVB World Cup has turned into a tremendous success. We have also seen matches of the highest level and I have to thank all teams for their effort in
what was a very long and exhausting, but at the same time exciting competition.”
Similarly, the other coaches passed healthy remarks about the World Cup. They praised the excellent arrangements and the sporty environment during all matches of the 2011 FIVB World Cup. Poland's coach, Andrea Anastasi, seemed extremely happy after qualifying
for the Olympics and said: “I have the impression that all teams are extremely tired and therefore they all went through some ups and downs. I am more than delighted we have already qualified for the Olympics because the calendar for next year is simply terrible.”
American Coach Alan Knipe regarded the 2011 FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Cup as a deeper tournament, in terms of strength of teams. He led his team to the 6th-place finish and commented that the depth of the competition was a major factor in the results.
Italian-born Paolo Giardinieri, who supported Iranian team, added that it was nice to see some great volleyball in Japan. Almost all teams entered the competition with limited and short preparation but still demonstrated a spectacular show of volleyball.
In his view, most of the players took a break from their respective clubs and joined the volleyball scrimmage in Japan. He appreciated the effort of players of all teams as normally teams spend some three months together to get ready for a big competition.
Cuban Head Coach, Orlando Samuels Blackwood, said that thirst for the Olympic tickets added more value to the event. He said it was an overall excellent volleyball tournament.
It was indeed a marvellous success as volleyball enthusiasts from every nook and cranny of the world headed toward Japan and enjoyed the lively action of volleyball.
Tags: