WL 2017: Conditions at Final 6 in Curitiba against FIVB rules!

Curitiba-Stadium

When the opening game of the 2014 FIVB World Championship between the hosts Poland and Serbia was held in front of 63,000 spectators at a „National Stadium“ in Warsaw, it started a revolution as the first official international match being played outdoors. The idea was not new as Brazil hosted Soviet Union in a friendly at a legendary „Maracanã“ stadium in Rio de Janeiro, decades earlier, setting an attendance record in volleyball.

So, when the FIVB allowed Brazilian Volleyball Federation (CBV) to organize the Final Six of the 2017 World League, which starts today, at the „Arena da Baixada“, which is a football stadium in Curitiba, everyone in the volleyball world said ’KUDOS!’. But, the fact that it’s now winter in Brazil was obviously ignored. Serbian NT head coach Nikola Grbić was the first to point this out, immediatley upon arriving to Curitiba.

By the time of the first game (Brazil vs. Canada, 15:05 LOCAL TIME, 20:05 CET), a predicted temperature at the venue is 14 degrees, while for the second match of the day (France vs. USA) it supposed to be even lower.

Curitiba-Weather-1

Playing at such a temperature is against the Offcial Volleyball Rules 2017-2020, Approved by the 35th FIVB Congress 2016 (Part 2, Section 1: Game; Chapter 1, Facilities and Equipment; 1.5 Temperature) which say: „The minimum temperature shall not be below 10° C. For FIVB, World and Official Competitions, the maximum temperature shall not be higher than 25° C and the minimum not lower than 16° C.“

FIVB-Official-Rules

So, what now? Do national teams have the right to refuse to play under these conditions? They do! But, will they?

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