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Latest update:
17/08/2008 15:20 +0300
Volleyball:
ATHLETICS |
BASKETBALL |
BEACH
VOLLEYBALL|
GYMNASTICS |
JUDO |
MOUNTAIN BIKE
SAILING |
SHOOTING |
SWIMMING |
TABLE TENNIS
| TENNIS |
VOLLEYBALL
 Volleyball, like basketball, is
a sport whose origin is known almost to the day. Oddly
enough, both sports were invented at the same college and
within a few years of one another. Volleyball was invented
in 1895 by William G. Morgan, a student at Springfield
College and a director of the YMCA at Holyoke,
Massachusetts. The game was originally called "Mintonette".
Volleyball quickly spread
around the world and became more popular in other countries
than in the United States. The Fédération Internationale de
Volleyball (FIVB) was formed in 1946. The sport was
introduced to the Olympics in 1964 by the Japanese, although
it was never contested as a demonstration sport at the
Olympics. No country has been truly dominant in volleyball,
although the Soviet Union has won the most medals.
Originally the Japanese had the world's best women players
while the United States had the best men's team in the world
throughout the 1980s.
Volleyball has now reached
great heights of popularity in the United States and Brazil,
largely thanks to the discipline of Beach Volleyball.
Matches are played best of five
sets. The first four sets are played to 25 points, with the
final set being played to 15 points. A team must win a set
by two points. There is no
ceiling, so a set continues until one of the teams gains a
two-point advantage. Previously, all sets were to 15 points,
with the first four sets having a ceiling of 17 and the
final set
requiring at least a two-point winning advantage.
Athletics |
Basketball |
Beach Volleyball
| Gymnastics |
Judo |
Mountain Bike |
Sailing |
Shooting |
Swimming |
Table Tennis
| Tennis |
Volleyball |
