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World Cup deemed a success by all
Cuba coach Orlando Samuels went as far as saying the FIVB Volleyball Men's World Cup was better than the Olympic Games
Tokyo, Japan, December 7, 2011 – Coaches and organisers alike have strongly praised the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Cup 2011 after the Olympic qualifying tournament drew to a close on Sunday.
Speaking at the end of the tournament FIVB 2nd executive vice-president Theofanis Tsiokris, who monitored all operations throughout the competition, said that the World Cup was once again a great event.
“The FIVB World Cup has turned into a tremendous success,†he said. “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†he adds.
Russia were eventually crowned champions, followed by Poland with the silver medal and world No.1 Brazil with bronze. All three also booked their place at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
A number of coaches also found the time to share their thoughts about the World Cup and the current state of men’s volleyball worldwide.
Cuba coach Orlando Samuels Blackwood stressed that the fight for a ticket to the Olympic Games was on until the last moment and in some ways, that made it better than the Games.
“The tournament was excellent overall, I’d even say better than the Olympics,†he said. “It had a very high level because most of the teams were playing at their best. Serbia did not start well, but they displayed some great volleyball in the last rounds of the competition. That high level is confirmed also by the fact that Brazil, the world champions from last year, had to fight until the end to qualify for the Olympics. At a technical level, this World Cup is better than the most recent World Championship. This competition has got the strongest starting field during the current quadrennial because the best teams in the world are here - only Bulgaria is missing.â€
Italian-born Paolo Giardinieri, who assisted an Iranian team which surprised everyone added: “We have seen some great volleyball in Japan especially by taking into account that all teams got here with a very limited and short preparation. Most of the players just took a break of a few days from their respective clubs and then headed directly to Japan. This does not happen for any European or World Championship, or even for the Olympics, as in such cases all teams spend some three months together to get properly ready. In this sense we have really seen some world class volleyball; we shall also not forget that the World Cup is the most intensive and fatiguing among all competitions, because of the very tight schedule and continuous travels from one venue to the next. So, we shall all praise the players and the teams for what they were able to show here.â€
Poland’s Italian coach Andrea Anastasi had much to celebrate come the end of the tournament, but said it was unsurprising that his team and Russia occupied the top two positions.
“This is a long and exhausting tournament, its formula being really atypical with eleven matches in 15 days,†he said. “I have the impression that all teams are extremely tired and therefore they all went through some ups and downs. In my opinion it is not that strange that Russia and Poland are occupying the top two positions in the final standings because these are, physically speaking, the strongest sides out there and hence those that are more likely to cope with such a tight and demanding schedule. It is always not that easy to admire great volleyball with such pre-conditions, a tight schedule and only a few days for preparing the competition, and I am more than delighted we have already qualified for the Olympics because the calendar for next year is simply terrible. My colleagues from other nations will have their own share of problems to get properly ready for the last stages of the Olympic qualification process.â€
However, for some, the fatigue proved too much. USA coach Alan Knipe, who took his team to a sixth-place finish, said that the depth of the tournament was a major factor in the results.
“The World Cup is an amazingly deep pool of teams,†he admitted. “This is my first World Cup, but based on all the comments prior to the tournament and the results on the court, I think there never has been a deeper tournament in terms of strength of teams. Even the teams with the lower records were a challenge each night. Every team went home with a win and challenged the top teams each day.â€
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Speaking at the end of the tournament FIVB 2nd executive vice-president Theofanis Tsiokris, who monitored all operations throughout the competition, said that the World Cup was once again a great event.
“The FIVB World Cup has turned into a tremendous success,†he said. “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†he adds.
Russia were eventually crowned champions, followed by Poland with the silver medal and world No.1 Brazil with bronze. All three also booked their place at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
A number of coaches also found the time to share their thoughts about the World Cup and the current state of men’s volleyball worldwide.
Cuba coach Orlando Samuels Blackwood stressed that the fight for a ticket to the Olympic Games was on until the last moment and in some ways, that made it better than the Games.
“The tournament was excellent overall, I’d even say better than the Olympics,†he said. “It had a very high level because most of the teams were playing at their best. Serbia did not start well, but they displayed some great volleyball in the last rounds of the competition. That high level is confirmed also by the fact that Brazil, the world champions from last year, had to fight until the end to qualify for the Olympics. At a technical level, this World Cup is better than the most recent World Championship. This competition has got the strongest starting field during the current quadrennial because the best teams in the world are here - only Bulgaria is missing.â€
Italian-born Paolo Giardinieri, who assisted an Iranian team which surprised everyone added: “We have seen some great volleyball in Japan especially by taking into account that all teams got here with a very limited and short preparation. Most of the players just took a break of a few days from their respective clubs and then headed directly to Japan. This does not happen for any European or World Championship, or even for the Olympics, as in such cases all teams spend some three months together to get properly ready. In this sense we have really seen some world class volleyball; we shall also not forget that the World Cup is the most intensive and fatiguing among all competitions, because of the very tight schedule and continuous travels from one venue to the next. So, we shall all praise the players and the teams for what they were able to show here.â€
Poland’s Italian coach Andrea Anastasi had much to celebrate come the end of the tournament, but said it was unsurprising that his team and Russia occupied the top two positions.
“This is a long and exhausting tournament, its formula being really atypical with eleven matches in 15 days,†he said. “I have the impression that all teams are extremely tired and therefore they all went through some ups and downs. In my opinion it is not that strange that Russia and Poland are occupying the top two positions in the final standings because these are, physically speaking, the strongest sides out there and hence those that are more likely to cope with such a tight and demanding schedule. It is always not that easy to admire great volleyball with such pre-conditions, a tight schedule and only a few days for preparing the competition, and I am more than delighted we have already qualified for the Olympics because the calendar for next year is simply terrible. My colleagues from other nations will have their own share of problems to get properly ready for the last stages of the Olympic qualification process.â€
However, for some, the fatigue proved too much. USA coach Alan Knipe, who took his team to a sixth-place finish, said that the depth of the tournament was a major factor in the results.
“The World Cup is an amazingly deep pool of teams,†he admitted. “This is my first World Cup, but based on all the comments prior to the tournament and the results on the court, I think there never has been a deeper tournament in terms of strength of teams. Even the teams with the lower records were a challenge each night. Every team went home with a win and challenged the top teams each day.â€
Download highresolution