Volleyball’s epic history at the Olympics marks 15 days until Rio 2016

Lausanne, Switzerland, July 21, 2016 – Volleyball has been part of the Olympic movement since 1964, and as the world marks 15 days to go until the Rio 2016 Games, it is time to look back at the great volleyball tournaments of the past.

Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games

Recognised by the IOC as an Olympic sport in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1957, volleyball was officially included in the Olympic Games seven years later. In the beginning there were 10 men’s teams participating apart from 1972 in Munich where there were 12 teams and in 1976 in Montreal where Egypt’s withdrawal limited the number of countries to nine. Since Seoul in 1988 there have been 12 teams in the men’s competition.

Mexico City 1968 Olympic GamesThe USSR emerged with a double triumph in Mexico. They successfully defended the men’s title they had won in Japan, and added the women’s gold medal this time too.

Munich 1972 Olympic GamesVolleyball entered the Olympic arena for the third time in Munich in 1972, and for the Japanese men it was a case of third time lucky. Following their bronze medal in 1964 they won silver in 1968. Now the question was, could their talismanic coach Yasutaka Matsudaira finally lead them to the very top of the Olympic podium?

Montreal 1976 Olympic Games

The volleyball tournament for the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal was a revelation for the Canadian public. What had been for most an occasional pastime with flexible rules became a passion during the …

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