International Volleyball Tournaments
Volleyball tournaments can be categorized into two different aspects. These categories include local and international tournaments. Ideally, if a team performs excellently at local competitions, they proceed to the international volleyball tournaments. One of the international-based championships is the FIVB World Championship.
FIVB (Fédération Internationale de Volleyball) world championship is a multi-national tournament held every four years. It is divided into the Volleyball Men’s World Championship and Volleyball’s Women’s World Championship. The agreement to hold the Volleyball Men’s World Championship was made in 1948. The competition involves several countries, and it was first hosted in Prague in 1949. Different teams from countries participated in the 19-tournament-based competition. Russia participated in all the tournaments resulting in their six winnings. Other countries with winning teams were Brazil, Poland, Germany, the US, Italy, and the Czech Republic.
On the other hand, the first FIVB Volleyball’s Women’s World Championship occurred in 1952. Similar to the Men’s World championship, it occurs every four years. In 1952, the competition was made up of 18 tournaments. Also, Russia managed to bag seven winnings. The other winnings came from the US, Serbia, Italy, China, Cuba, and Japan.
Another volleyball championship is the Volleyball World Grand Championship. The goal of establishing this competition was to have two major events each year. In 1993, the FIVB launched the Volleyball World Grand Championship Cup. The competition involves only six countries and is only hosted by Japan. So, they have exclusive access to the competition as a participating team. This competition usually features the four teams that emerge as winners in the intercontinental championships and the lucky group that receives a wild card admission directly from the FIVB and Japan. Together with the Olympic games, events such as the Volleyball World Grand Championship are central in the international volleyball arena. They maintain a significant audience attraction while generating cash via sponsorship and broadcasting. The FIVB has successfully pushed these events to be a massive success globally. The success of these competitions prompted numerous countries to participate in the sport, which is currently spreading across the world.
Another famous volleyball competition is the Volleyball World League. In the late 1980s, the idea of hosting the Volleyball World League to promote sports came up. The World League is one of the few international volleyball competitions held annually. The FIVB organized the first Volleyball World League in 1990. Tournament sponsorship is assigned to each country. The country needs to report the event live on TV and in the media. The FIVB concept has proven to be innovative, especially in East Asia, where more people are familiar with volleyball because of the World League. Italy, Russia, and Brazil dominated the event, as they did at the World Championships. Qualifying rounds take place across continents in different countries.
In addition, the Olympic Games is another international avenue to play volleyball. The game was first included in the Olympic games in 1964. It consists of both men’s and women’s volleyball. The men’s volleyball championship has been dominated by countries, including the former Soviet Union, Brazil, the United States, and others.
