Sada Cruzeiro
In a press conference on Monday at the headquarters of the Sport Club Cruzeiro in Belo Horizonte, Mr Medioli said he was grateful to the local authorities for their help in staging the most important club competition on the international calendar.
“We are here with great satisfaction to announce an event of the greatest importance for the Brazilian volleyball family and the world,” Mr Medioli said. “In the last three years the competition was held in Doha in Qatar. Brazil was always present in these events. In 2012, Sada Cruzeiro succeeded in reaching the final and won the silver medal. In a time of a serious international financial crisis, we managed, through a broad partnership, to host this event here in Minas Gerais. We count on the support of the Prefectures of Betim and above all the state of Minas Gerais.”
William Arjona echoed the thoughts of his club president and said he hoped his team can go one step better in 2013 and become the first non-Italian club to win the title.
“It’s amazing that Minas Gerais is hosting the competition, playing at home will be amazing,” he said. “Our fans love volleyball and I’m sure the gym will be packed every day. It is a unique moment for our team, so we have to enjoy it and give our best. Winning the tournament will be the icing on the cake of this unique moment.”
Also present in the press conference were Gilvan de Pinho Tavares, the president of Club Cruzeiro, Marcelo Wangler, the FIVB and CSV representative, and CBV technical director Túlio Teixeira.
The first and only time that the tournament took place in Brazil was in 1991, in São Paulo. The competition was created by the FIVB in 1989 as the most important club competition in the world. Since 2009, when the championship was restarted after stopping in 1992, the official host city was Doha, Qatar. Until now there were eight editions held and all were won by an Italian club.
The FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship will bring together eight squads from around the world, including teams from Europe, Asia, Africa, South America and NORCECA, besides the host club, Sada Cruzeiro.
From Italy comes the four-time champions Trentino, South America will be represented by continental champions UPCN (Argentina). The tournament will also include Lokomotiv Novosibirsk from Russia (European champions), Kalan Mazandaran from Iran (Asian champions), Panasonic – winners of the Emperor Cup from Japan, Tunisia’s Sfax (African champions), and La Romana of the Dominican Republic as the representative of NORCECA.
The eight teams will be divided into two groups of four in the qualifying stage. The top two teams in each advance to the semifinals. The winning teams will qualify for the final and the losers will compete for third place. The final will be on October 20.
Sada Cruzeiro finished second in the World Club Championship in October last year in Doha, Qatar. Before Sada Cruzeiro, no other Brazillian team in the last 21 years classified to a final of the Club World Championship.
It is the first time Minas Gerais has hosted the Club World Championship. The competition will be at the Gymnasium Multisport Divine Braga in Betim in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte State, Brazil.
The FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship will be preceded by the Women’s Club World Championship, which will take place in Zurich, Switzerland from October 9 to 13 with six teams participating.
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