The volleyball World Cup will go ahead as planned in Japan in November, the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) announced on Tuesday. There had been uncertainty over the event being held as scheduled following the devastating earthquake and tsunami which hit the country in March.
The World Cup, which runs from November 4 to December 4, is the first qualifying event for next year’s Olympic Games, and has been given the green light following close consultation between the FIVB and the Japanese Volleyball Association (JVA). “The FIVB continues to support the JVA and the Japanese people to overcome the difficulties caused by the natural disaster and the unfortunate nuclear radiation,” FIVB President Jizhong Wei said. “We have always had confidence in the Japanese people and the Japanese volleyball family’s solidarity.
“The FIVB is working closely with the international Olympic family to provide all the necessary support to Japan’s sporting society in order to restore confidence and accelerate the recovery and they have the FIVB’s, especially the world’s volleyball players, full support in this delicate process.”