Federations Roundup: Volleyball, Handball

Brazil Remain Men’s Volleyball World Cup Champs

The Men’s Volleyball World Cup trophy stays with Brazil after a 3-1 victory over host Japan in the final match December 2, 2007.

Twelve teams met in Japan to compete in venues in several cities, including Tokyo November 18 to December 2.

"We have two World Championships, two World Cups and our aim is to end this cycle with two Olympic gold medals," Brazil’s head coach Bernardo Rezende tells Chinese media.

Top-three finishers Brazil, Russia and Bulgaria each earned a berth to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Wild-card team Bulgaria took out Argentina 3-0 to earn its ticket to the Games, while Russia defeated the U.S. 3-2 to earn its Olympic berth.

The competition has been held in Japan on a permanent basis since 1977. The next Volleyball World Cup is in 2011.

In other FIVB news: The beach volleyball finals at next years’ Games will remain scheduled in the morning, despite FIVB efforts to move the matches to the evening.

The proposed change was meant to attract more spectators, as FIVB says attendance for past events was greater in the evening than in the day.

Though the August 21 and 22 finals remain slated for the morning, several preliminary matches are scheduled for night sessions.

Handball Battles Protests, Opens Women’s Handball World Championships

The International Handball Federation released a statement on the controversy that has persisted since the September match between South Korea and Kuwait at the Asian Olympic Handball qualifying tournament. The statement confirms various media reports following the Kuwait victory, including the replacement of German referees with Jordanian referees just before the match, as well as the on court meeting with the referees by an IHF representative, Alexander Kozhukov, during the match. The The 2007 Women's Handball World Championships opened Sunday in France. (Getty Images)complete statement by the IHF can be found here, and a Korean television news report on the controversy can be seen here. The IHF executive committee is scheduled to consider the dispute later this month.

Meanwhile, the 2007 IHF Women's World Championship started December 2 in France. The 24-team tournament includes defending champion Russia, the 2005 winner. Organizers for the event have partnered with Sportfive to offer live streaming of games, for which information can be found here. The 2007 IHF Women's World Championship will continue through December 16; 11 cities will host matches.

FITA Opens Online Store

The International Archery Federation has opened its online store at shop.archery.org. The store features various merchandise including clothes, pins, and highlight videos from past events.

Fed Briefs

- The ITTF has closed its Shanghai office in preparation for the opening of a new office in Beijing. Contact details for the new Beijing location will be announced in the next few days.

- Kathy Meyer has been named Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the United States Equestrian Federation. Meyer previously served as an officer and administrator for the USEF.

- The International Racquetball Federation has made rosters available online for the 2007 World Junior Championships, to be held December 14-20 in Coachabamba, Bolivia. The rosters can be seen here.

- FIBA Americas will hold its Central Board Meeting in Chicago December 7-9. Among the items to be discussed is the location of the host city for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men in July.

- HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein gave birth to a baby girl on December 2nd, which was also National Day in the United Arab Emirates.

Written by Bryant Armstrongand Laura Grundy

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