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.
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Men’s Teams As of July 22, 2013
Women’s Teams As of July 22, 2013
1 Brazil 345 2 Russia 330 3 Italy 286 4 Poland 195 5 USA 179 5 Cuba 179 7 Serbia 177 8 Argentina 171 9 Bulgaria 165 10 Germany 112 11 Canada 75 12 Australia 68 12 Iran 68 14 Egypt 63 15 Tunisia 62 16 China 53 16 Cameroon 53 18 France 50 19 Japan 47 20 Venezuela 45 20 Puerto Rico 45 22 Czech Republic 41 23 Mexico 40 23 Republic of Korea 40 25 Spain 32 26 Algeria 30 26 Slovakia 30 28 Colombia 29 29 Great Britain 26 30 India 25 31 Finland 24 32 Chile 22 34 Trinidad & Tobago 19 34 Morocco 19 34 Paraguay 19 37 Slovenia 17 37 Portugal 17 39 Estonia 16 39 Romania 16
1 Brazil 320 2 USA 305 3 Japan 291 4 Italy 260 5 China 241 6 Russia 175 7 Serbia 165 8 Dominican Republic 130 9 Germany 126 10 Republic of Korea 122 11 Turkey 120 12 Algeria 72 13 Poland 61 14 Kenya 58 15 Cuba 56 16 Thailad 52 17 Peru 50 18 Netherlands 45 19 Argentina 43 20 Puerto Rico 42 21 Great Britain 37 22 Czech Republic 35 23 Egypt 32 23 Canada 32 25 Mexico 29 26 Colombia 26 26 Costa Rica 26 28 Senegal 25 28 Kazakhstan 25 30 Chinese Taipei 24 31 Croatia 22 31 Bulgaria 22 32 Chile 22 33 Uruguay 20 33 Trinidad & Tobago 20 33 Cameroon 20 36 Tunisia 18 36 Romania 18 36 Azerbaijan 18