International Volleyball Fact Sheet Introduction: Volleyball has major international competitions every year and, at its highest level, is a physically demanding sport played by some of the world’s most elite athletes. Of course, volleyball is also a popular recreational activity enjoyed by more than 38 million persons in the United States (more than any team sport but basketball) and more than 800 million persons globally, making it the world’s most popular participant sport. This fact sheet is designed to provide more understanding about international volleyball and its major competitions, including the Olympic Games.
Top 40 teams in the FIVB World Ranking:
International Governing Body: The international governing body for volleyball is the Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. The FIVB is the world’s largest sports federation, with more than 200 member nations. Under the direction of its president, Dr. Ruben Acosta of Mexico, the FIVB oversees the administration of volleyball throughout the world and is responsible for producing several major events, including the Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cup, World League and World Grand Prix. National Governing Body: The national governing body (NGB) for volleyball in the United States is USA Volleyball, formerly known as the United States Volleyball Association. Founded in 1928, USA Volleyball is responsible for the administration of all forms of volleyball in the United States, including producing the annual USA Open Volleyball Championships, Junior Olympic Championships and the USA Outdoor National Championships. As mandated by the 1978 Amateur Sports Act, USA Volleyball is responsible to the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) and the FIVB for training and nominating the teams which represent the United States in the Olympic Games and other important volleyball competitions worldwide. Major Competitions: The four major events on the international volleyball calendar are the Olympic Games (men and women, indoor and beach), World Championships (men and women, indoor and beach), World Cup (men and women, indoor), World League (men, indoor) and World Grand Prix (women, indoor). All events are conducted quadrennially, with the exceptions of the annual World League/Grand Prix and the biennial Beach World Championships. World Rankings: Following the decision of the FIVB Board of Administration, a new system of point attribution based on a new scale has been implemented for the FIVB World Ranking of Volleyball National Teams. The following competitions are now included: • Senior World Championships included for four years - 25 percent reduction each year. Points are also granted for the qualification matches, to the best non-qualified teams. • Olympic Games included for four years - 25 percent reduction each year. Points are also granted for the qualification matches, to the best non-qualified teams. • World Cup included for two years - 50 percent reduction the second year. • Senior Continental Championships included for two years - 50 percent reduction the second year; points are also granted for the qualification matches to the best non-qualified teams. • Men’s World League / Women’s World Grand Prix included for one year.
68
Men’s Teams As of Oct. 7, 2013
Women’s Teams As of Oct. 7, 2013
1 Brazil 345 2 Russia 342 3 Italy 286 4 USA 183 5 Poland 176 6 Bulgaria 173 7 Cuba 171 7 Argentina 171 9 Serbia 169 10 Germany 120 11 Canada 79 12 Iran 68 13 Tunisia 66 14 Australia 64 15 Egypt 63 16 France 59 17 Japan 51 18 China 49 19 Cameroon 45 20 Puerto Rico 45 21 Republic of Korea 44 22 Czech Republic 40 22 Mexico 40 24 Colombia 33 25 Spain 32 26 Morocco 31 27 Algeria 26 27 Chile 26 29 Dominican Republic 25 30 Finland 24 31 Venezuela 23 31 Netherlands 23 31 Paraguay 23 34 India 20 34 Thailand 20 36 Slovakia 19 37 Belgium 18 38 Slovenia 16 38 Portugal 16 38 Romania 16 41 Bahamas 15
1 Brazil 320 2 USA 305 3 Japan 291 4 Italy 252 5 China 229 6 Russia 195 7 Serbia 153 8 Dominican Republic 130 9 Germany 126 10 Republic of Korea 122 11 Turkey 103 12 Thailand 64 13 Kenya 58 14 Algeria 56 15 Poland 50 15 Peru 50 17 Puerto Rico 46 18 Netherlands 43 18 Argentina 43 20 Canada 40 21 Cuba 39 22 Belgium 37 23 Kazakhstan 36 24 Croatia 34 25 Czech Republic 33 26 Cameroon 32 27 Tunisia 30 28 Mexico 29 29 Colombia 26 29 Costa Rica 26 31 Senegal 25 31 Trinidad & Tobago 25 33 Egypt 24 33 Venezuela 24 35 Bulgaria 22 36 Belarus 18 37 Azerbaijan 17 38 Romania 16 38 Chile 16 40 Chinese Taipei 15 40 France 15