Cuba vs. Brazil, 1996 Atlanta Olympics
Cuba won the Women’s volleyball tournament in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics (which was their second straight Olympic gold medal) but only after finishing third-placed in their pool as they suffered two defeats – to Brazil and Russia. It seemed that a defeat to Brazil bothered Mireya Luis, Regla Bell, and other Cuban stars more. These two sides met again in the semifinals which resulted in one of the games with the greatest tensions ever in volleyball.
After the last point of a five-setter which Cuba won, partially 5-15, 15-8, 10-15, 15-13, 15-12, players of both teams collided on the net, shouting at each other and pushing one another. It was a culmination of the tensions that were present on several occasions during the match. Both coaches and coaching staffs were forced to step in and separate them.
Then, after they celebrated the win, Cuban players bumped into rival’s players while they were all heading out. That’s when a tougher face-off occurred. A massive fight was narrowly avoided…
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