Volleyball is played indoors on hard courts and outdoors on beaches and since 1964, it’s been an Olympic medal sport for both men and women. These days volleyball is a professional sport regulated by the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB). Players travel the world doing what they do best – smashing a ball across the net on the most beautiful beaches on the planet!
If you don’t know much about the fast-growing global sport, here are a few facts that’ll bring you up to speed:
Fact #1: volleyball is the 5th most popular sport on the planet
Volleyball is a truly global phenomenon. It’s played professionally in emerging and established countries alike, from Zambia and South Korea to the USA, China and Germany.
According to estimates, the simple ball game has 900 million fans, one billion players and 200 registered national federations, the greatest number of any sporting code. Today
volleyball is ranked the fifth most popular sport in the world after football, cricket, hockey and tennis!
Fact #2: women volleyball players earn the most
The big money generators in professional volleyball are women. Top ranked players like Gabriella Reece of the USA, Katerina Gamova of Russia and Brazil’s Shella Castro reportedly earn an annual salary of around $1.8 million, $1.4 million and $1.16 million respectively.
In comparison the highest paid male volleyball players such as Cuba’s Wilfredo Leon, Earvin ‘Dominator’ N’Gapeth from France and Pole, Bartosz Kurek earn $1.4 million, $1.35 million and $1.1 million apiece.
Could this have something to do with the fact that the women are expected to wear the briefest of bikinis while the men are fitted out in standard sports kit?
Fact #3: the best player in a volleyball team is a floating substitute
In volleyball the best player in a team can join and leave the on-court action whenever he or she pleases. They’re really floating substitutes or secret weapons that can be deployed on command.
Known as the ‘libero’ player and fitted out in a unique colour kit, these players are demons at defence with one caveat… they are not allowed to attack or block the ball when it is above net height!
Fact #4: rallies can last minutes and matches can last days
The longest-ever volleyball rally was 2 minutes and 4 seconds. It was recorded in a 2012 match between two professional Chinese federation teams and consisted of 30 net crossings and 78 total contacts.
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The longest official volleyball match was between China and Switzerland at the 2016 Rio Olympics. It lasted 67 minutes and was played over two days. China eventually wrapped up the contest with a three-set win.
An unofficial match that won a Guinness World Record was a 25-hour and 39-minute encounter between a group of Poles and Germans. The record-breaking feat took place in steamy conditions on a beach in Goerlizt, Poland.
Fact #5: celebrities love to play volleyball
Loads of celebs have played volleyball at some stage of their lives. Stars like Val Kilmer, Charlize Theron and Tom Selleck have done their thing with the ball.
Prince Harry is an occasional player of ‘sitting volleyball’, a form of the game contested by injured servicemen and women and legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has spent his fair share of time on the volleyball court.
Fact #6: Brazil and Serbia take the honours
Although the USA and Russia are ranked in the top 6 on the FIVB World Rankings in the both the men’s and women’s game, it’s Brazil and Serbia that are currently languishing in the number one spot for men and women respectively!
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