Volleyball World Championships Gets Record Number of Entries
Lausanne, Switzerland, June 10, 2004 – The International Volleyball Federation is pleased to announce that the 2006 World Championships will be the biggest World Volleyball Championships ever contested in FIVB history with an exceptional number of 165 teams (93 men’s and 72 women’s teams) already registered with eight days remaining until the late entry deadline of June 18. All five Confederations represented as follows: Twenty three teams from Africa, 33 from Asia, 57 from Europe, 39 from Norceca and 13 from South America. The previous highest entry list was 118 at the 2002 World Championships.
The drawing of lots ceremony will be held in the inspirational setting of Rome, Italy on July 15, on the eve of the 2004 World League finals.
'The number of entries is a reflection of the status of this tournament,' FIVB President Dr Rubén Acosta said. 'The World Championships is one of the most revered titles in international Volleyball and is a symbol of the global participation in our sport.'
The 2006 World Championships will see national teams from nearly 100 countries competing in a record number of first and second round tournaments lasting 12 months. *
The Drawing of Lots will confirm the distribution of teams within each Confederation for the opening rounds of the 2006 World Championships, which will determine who progresses to the final round of 24 teams each for men and women for a total of 48 teams in Japan.
As hosts, the Japan men’s and women’s teams have already qualified for the final 24 along with the defending 2002 world champions; The Brazilian men’s and the Italian women’s teams. The number of vacancies for each Confederation in the final round will be determined following the late entry deadline.
Being staged every four years, the World Championships, which first started in Prague 1949 for men and in Moscow in 1952 for women, are the FIVB’s most important Volleyball competition as they incorporate a first round followed by a second round series of tournaments in a process that climaxes with a grand finale of the best 24 teams in each gender.
The last World Championships were held in 2002 in Germany for women and in Argentina for men.
For more details contact:
Richard Baker - FIVB Communications
Phone: +41 21 345 35 35
Fax: +41 21 345 35 45
press@fivb.org
The drawing of lots ceremony will be held in the inspirational setting of Rome, Italy on July 15, on the eve of the 2004 World League finals.
'The number of entries is a reflection of the status of this tournament,' FIVB President Dr Rubén Acosta said. 'The World Championships is one of the most revered titles in international Volleyball and is a symbol of the global participation in our sport.'
The 2006 World Championships will see national teams from nearly 100 countries competing in a record number of first and second round tournaments lasting 12 months. *
The Drawing of Lots will confirm the distribution of teams within each Confederation for the opening rounds of the 2006 World Championships, which will determine who progresses to the final round of 24 teams each for men and women for a total of 48 teams in Japan.
As hosts, the Japan men’s and women’s teams have already qualified for the final 24 along with the defending 2002 world champions; The Brazilian men’s and the Italian women’s teams. The number of vacancies for each Confederation in the final round will be determined following the late entry deadline.
Being staged every four years, the World Championships, which first started in Prague 1949 for men and in Moscow in 1952 for women, are the FIVB’s most important Volleyball competition as they incorporate a first round followed by a second round series of tournaments in a process that climaxes with a grand finale of the best 24 teams in each gender.
The last World Championships were held in 2002 in Germany for women and in Argentina for men.
For more details contact:
Richard Baker - FIVB Communications
Phone: +41 21 345 35 35
Fax: +41 21 345 35 45
press@fivb.org