Zaytsev – Kemner – Cook
The 28th induction class consists of Beach Volleyball player Natalie Cook (Australia), women’s Volleyball player Caren Kemner of the United States and men’s Volleyball player Vyacheslav Zaytsev of Russia. The induction class is elected via a vote of current Volleyball Hall of Fame inductees. A total of 20 different countries are represented in the Volleyball Hall of Fame with at least one inductee. All told, 115 individuals will have been inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame after this year’s enshrinement ceremony.
“The three individual inductees for the 2013 Volleyball Hall of Fame are remarkable athletes who elevated the sport to new levels for the next generation to strive for,” said Doug Beal, co-chair of the Volleyball Hall of Fame Selection Committee says. “This induction class, with diversity of gender, country and discipline, continues to uphold the highest qualities of the game through its athletes, coaches and leaders. Natalie Cook has been a true ambassador for the sport of Beach Volleyball through her many accomplishments on the court including participation in five Olympics and her work in developing the sport away from the sand. Vyacheslav Zaytsev was a leader of so many great Soviet Union squads for over two decades, setting the team to numerous gold medals and podium finishes. Caren Kemner distinguished herself as a dominating outside hitter who could attack and play defense equally well for so many years with the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team.”
“The International Selection Committee always does a tremendous job identifying truly deserving individuals for enshrinement in the Volleyball Hall of Fame,” said George Mulry, executive director of the Volleyball Hall of Fame. “As the Hall continues being internationally focused, we are delighted to showcase the talents of this class and help recognize some of the sport’s best players from both genders and disciplines.”
In addition to the three individual inductions, the 14 founding countries of the FIVB will be inducted as part of the Court of Honor celebration. The founding countries are Belgium, Brazil, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, France, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, United States, Uruguay and Yugoslavia. Through the processes established in the first Constitutive Congress attended by these 14 nations in Paris from April 18-20, 1947, the FIVB was born.
“Volleyball is truly a global sport that gained significant strides from the initial actions taken in Paris in 1947 to establish the FIVB,” Beal said. “While the political climate has changed over the years, including within some of the founding FIVB members, Volleyball has endured through time and grown into the largest international sports federation in the world today. The sport owes a debt of gratitude to the 14 founding member countries and the leaders who came together, putting aside differences and creating a lasting legacy through the establishment of the FIVB.”
“Without the efforts of the founding members of the FIVB, the rise of the game of Volleyball to a truly global sport would not have been possible,” said George Mulry, executive director of the Volleyball Hall of Fame. “The visionaries of these 14 countries laid the foundation for what is now the largest international sporting federation in the world and has influenced the growth and reach of Volleyball for 67 years. While we have honored the FIVB in the past with the Court of Honor Award, it is truly fitting that we formally celebrate these founding countries for the impact they have had on the history of volleyball.”
Who’s who – Vyacheslav Zaytsev
Vyacheslav Zaytsev earned three Olympic Games medals from 1976 to 1988 as the setter for the Soviet Union. After aiding the Soviet Union to the silver medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, Zaytsev reached the top step of the Olympic podium with gold in front of the home crowd at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. After boycotting the 1984 Olympics, the Soviet Union and Zaytsev returned to the podium at the 1988 Olympics with the silver medal, finishing second to the United States who had won the 1984 Olympics. He helped the Soviet Union win the FIVB World Championships in 1978 and 1982, along with silver medals at the 1974 and 1986 editions. Zaytsev earned gold medals at both the 1977 and 1981 FIVB World Cup and was named the most valuable player in the 1981 event. He holds six gold medals from the European Championships. Zaytsev won two CEV Top Teams Cup and two Challenge Cups with Avtomobilist Leningrad before finishing his career playing in Italy for Spoleto, Agrigento and Città di Castello. Zaytsev’s son, Ivan, earned the 2012 Olympic Games bronze medal while playing for Italy.
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