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Six international greats receive volleyballs highest honor at Volleyball Hall of Fame
Six international Olympic legends were induction to the Volleyball Hall of Fame, in the birthplace of the sport – Holyoke, Massachusetts USA. At an afternoon ceremony and an evening dinner, Thursday, Oct. 11, Bob Ctvrtlik of the United States, Kerri Pottharst of Australia, Andrea Gardini of Italy, Dimitar Zlatanov of Bulgaria, Carlos Nuzman of Brazil and Yuan Weimin of China were honored at the Hall of Fame’s 22nd enshrinement.
Ctvrtlik was a three-time Olympian for the U. S, Men’s Indoor National Team. He was instrumental in propelling the Americans past the Soviet team to capture Gold at the 1988 Olympic games in Seoul. He later captained the 1992 U. S. team that took the Bronze in Barcelona. Ctvrtlik is credited with improving the team’s world ranking from 15th to 4th within a mere 10 months of his return. He was awarded “Best Player in the World” in 1995, however his USA team finished out of medal contention at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.
“The sport of volleyball, it has been such a significant part of my life,” Ctvrtlik said. “I loved it the first day I played and I loved it the last day I retired.”
Australia’s most decorated indoor and beach player, Pottharst, grabbed the Gold in Beach Volleyball at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. One of Australia’s most popular sports heroes, Pottharst and her team partner, Natalie Cook, were selected as one of the two “Best Women’s Beach Volleyball Teams of the Last Decade (1990 - 2000)” by the Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) as a part of its “20th Century Best” Awards.
“I want to thank the Volleyball Hall of Fame and all the fantastic volunteers. I want to thank the sport of volleyball, it has given me a great life, ” said Pottharst.
Gardini, a key component of the FIVB-crowned “Best Volleyball Team of the 20th Century,” was a tough, effective and popular middle blocker for the “Squadra Azzurra.” Few teams in the world of sport have been as dominant as the Italian Men's Volleyball Team of the 1990’s. Gardini and the Italian team were the first ever to win three consecutive World Championship titles (1990, 1994 and 1998). Gardini won four gold medals at the European Championships (1989, 1993, 1995, and 1999). His team dominated world league play in the 1990’s by taking the title eight times between 1990 and 2000. Gardini’s team took Olympic Silver in Atlanta 1996, in what many call the greatest volleyball match ever.
“When our team got to know about this great honor they told me ‘you go there for all of us,’” Gardini said. “It represents all our country and that is why I thank you so much for inviting me here - here is our history, the history of our sport.”
Zlatanov defined volleyball in Bulgaria for a generation. He was selected as one of 25, along with Gardini, to be place on the ballot to determine the best players of the 20th century by the FIVB. He was one of the great all-round players, as his abilities at every part of the game set him apart from most of his peers. He won eight championships with the CSKA Volleyball Club and competed on the Bulgarian squad in three Olympics (1972, 1976 and 1980). Zlatanov earned a Silver Medal at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.
“I feel this moment is a great ending to my sports career,” said Zlatanov.
President of the Brazilian Olympic Committee since 1996, Carlos Arthur Nuzman began his career as an athlete. He played volleyball with the Brazilian team for two World Championships (1962, 1966) and the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Nuzman was the president of the Brazilian Volleyball Federation from 1975 to 1995, an era of many victories for Brazilian men’s volleyball. During that time, Brazil won first place at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and was the champion of the 1993 World League and the 1989 Youth World, Junior Youth (3 times). The Brazilian women’s team was the 1994 World Vice Champion, the 1995 Grand Prix winner and World Youth Champion (1987, 1989).
“To be awarded induction as a leader by the Volleyball Hall of Fame is one of the most important honors of my career,” said Nuzman. “I congratulate the Volleyball Hall of Fame for its commitment to promoting volleyball and it’s history.”
Yuan spent his entire career in the world of sports. He lead the China Women’s National Team to gold medals at the 1982 World Championships, the 1983 World Cup, the 1983 World Grand Prix and the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. As president of the Asian Volleyball Confederation (1997 - 2001), he is credited with helping to popularize volleyball on the Asian continent, initiating new tournaments and overseeing the rapid and impressive development of Asian Beach Volleyball.
Yuan served as the president of the China Olympic committee and in 2004 served as executive president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympiad. At the end of 2004 he retired at the age of 65. Yuan was unable to attend the ceremony but was represented by Olympic Gold medalist and current USA Women’s National Team coach, Lang Ping (Inducted, 2002).
“He is a great national hero,” Lang said. “He wanted me to thank the Volleyball Hall of Fame for his honor. He has been away from volleyball for years, but the people still remember him.”
Other members of the Hall of Fame and international guests who attended the events and meetings for the Induction Celebration included: Al Monaco, president of USA Volleyball (inducted, 1997), Doug Beal, CEO of USA Volleyball (Inducted 1989); Bernice Epperson, CEO of the Volleyball Festival (Honored with the Morgan Award, 1999); Bernard Rajzman (Inducted, 2005); Diego Mosna, president Lega Pallavollo; Fred Wendleboe, chairman of the USA Volleyball Foundation, Ary Graca, the president of the Brazil Volleyball Federation; Alexandre Abeid, volleyball Olympian, Sandy Vivas, president of AthleticLink, Ali Wood, USA Volleyball Director of International & High Performance Beach Programs and Scott Creelman, president of Spalding, the presenting sponsor of the induction events.
For more information, contact the Volleyball Hall of Fame by e-mail at info@volleyhall.org or visit the website at www.volleyhall.org.
From : PR
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