Belgium: Red Dragons look forward to first appearance in World League top flight

Lausanne, Switzerland, May 4, 2016 – The Belgian men’s volleyball team made its first appearance in the FIVB Volleyball World League in 2014. Just two years on, the Red Dragons are now one of the top teams in the world. This year, they will compete in Intercontinental Group 1 for the first time. After missing out on qualification for the Olympic Games in Rio, the FIVB World League will be the highlight of their season.“We are playing in the A group of the World League for the first time, with matches against Australia, Italy, France, Brazil, USA and Poland. We should just try to keep playing at this level until the next Olympics in four years,” said coach Dominique Baeyens.” Baeyens views the matches against world-class teams as a test of character for his top players. “Players who do not want to enter into these confrontations can hardly be called ambitious players.”After decades without any notable successes, expectations have grown significantly in Belgian volleyball in recent years – that is just as true for the women’s national team – the Yellow Tigers – as it is for the Red Dragons. They won the European League title for the first time in impressive fashion in 2013 and recorded the best result in their history with a seventh place at the European Championship. In 2014, the men’s national team qualified for the FIVB Volleyball World Championship for the first time in 36 years – and crowned their debut appearance in the World League by reaching the final round in Intercontinental …

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