(ATR) The secretary general of the International Volleyball Federation tells Around the Rings the federation is "sure to deliver a great show in Rio."
Fernando Lima says that the volleyball test event shows how the sport is improving, and provided an opportunity for FIVB to begin laying out final plans with Rio 2016 to prepare for the Olympic games.
"So what is being tested here is staging one more competition trying to motivate the local fans and create awareness for the sport in Rio," Lima said to ATR.
"The different elements we are also working with the organizing committee in order to establish a great delivery of volleyball when the Olympics come. So we are very pleased as a federation because we believe that the level of the sport is really reaching its peak."
For FIVB, the test event was not about testing the operations for the Games, but more suggesting ideas, and bringing the World League Final back to Rio de Janeiro for the first time since 2008.
Lima declined to speak on how the operational aspect of the test event went, saying that was solely the responsibility of Rio 2016. He did say the federation and the organizing committee have a "great relationship," and the event did produce a number of ideas the federation will suggest to Rio 2016 in the last 13 months before the Olympics.
"We would like very much like to see additional seats around courts, and we would like to create this atmosphere for allowing more fans to be near the field of play," Lima said.
"This is part of a concept that we believe is very important for sport nowadays, and Rio 2016 is doing a big effort here to try and present to us to some proposals to add those additional chairs in Maracanazinho."
Much to the fans dislike, Brazil was eliminated in the first round of the World League Final, coming in third in a group with France and the United States. France went on to win the final, their first ever on July 19.
"I think that the ambience in Rio will be fantastic, and I think we expect working together with the organizing committee and the IOC to deliver a great sport."
Written by Aaron Bauer
20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.
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