| Volleyball - An Introduction
Volleyball is a complex game of simple skills. It has come a long way from the dusty-old YMCA gymnasium
of Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA, where visionary, William G. Morgan,
invented the sport back in 1895. It has seen the start of two
centuries and the dawn of a new millennium. Volleyball is now one of
the big five international sports, and the FIVB, with its 218
affiliated national federations, is the largest international
sporting federation in the world.
Over the last decade particularly, volleyball has witnessed
unprecedented growth. With the success of its world competition such
as the World Championships, Olympic Games, the US15$ million World
League, Grand Prix, World Cup, and World Grand Champions Cup, the
level of participation at all levels internationally continues to
grow exponentially.
The beach volleyball phenomenon, although hugely visible, is
still just in its infancy. From the first FIVB World Tour event just
over ten years ago, to the overwhelming spectator and television
success of 'Beach' at the Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Olympic
Games, beach volleyball has opened up Volleyball to a completely new
market.
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