Prior to Sydney 2000, the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) introduced a new specialist role: the libero. This player wears a different coloured uniform from the rest of the team and can be substituted in backcourt for any player on the team. The libero cannot serve, spike the ball over the net or rotate into the front-line positions, but plays a vital role for the team in serve reception and backcourt defence. There must be at least one point played between a libero substituting off for a player and going back on the court for another player - hence he/she cannot be on the court for the whole game. The libero added an extra dimension to backcourt defence during the Sydney 2000 Games, improving the reception of teams, lengthening the rallies and giving a vital role to shorter players.

Discipline's origin

In 1892, at a YMCA in the US state of Massachusetts, Dr Naismith hung up the peach baskets that gave birth to the game of basketball. William Morgan, his friend, studied the game and deemed it perhaps too strenuous for a middle-aged businessman. Thus, three years later, Morgan invented his own game. Another century later, his invention, volleyball, has emerged along with basketball as one of the fastest, most powerful sports of the Olympic Games.

Morgan called his game "Mintonette". However, a local professor quickly noted the ball being volleyed over the net, and the sport almost immediately changed names.

From the outset, volleyball has been a game unafraid of change from any direction. And it quickly went in many directions. Thanks to the long tentacles of the international YMCA network, Japan was playing the game by 1896, followed closely by other Asian countries. A specially designed ball came into play in 1900, and, over the next 20 years, the game developed to closely resemble the game of volleyball as we know it today.

The set and spike originated in the Philippines in 1920. Six-a-side play became standard in 1918. In 1920, the rules mandating three hits per side and back-row attacks were instituted.

Rules

TEAM COMPOSITION

A team may consist of a maximum of 12 players, one coach, one assistant coach, one trainer and one medical doctor.

TEAM LEADERS

Both the team captain and the coach are responsible for the conduct and discipline of their team members.

TO SCORE A POINT

A team scores a point by successfully grounding the ball on the opponent's court; when the opponent team commits a fault; when the opponent team receives a penalty.

FAULT

A team commits a fault by making a playing action contrary to the rules (or by violating them in some other way). The referees judge the faults and determine the consequences according to the Rules: If two or more faults are committed successively, only the first one is counted.

If two or more faults are committed by opponents simultaneously, a DOUBLE FAULT is called and the rally is replayed.

Consequences of winning a rally

A rally is the sequence of playing actions from the moment of the service hit by the server until the ball is out of play.If the serving team wins a rally, it scores a point and continues to serve; if the receiving team wins a rally, it scores a point and it must serve next.

TO WIN A SET

A set (except the deciding, 5th set) is won by the team which first scores 25 points with a minimum lead of two points. In the case of a 24-24 tie,play is continued until a two-point lead is achieved (26-24; 27-25; …).

TO WIN THE MATCH

The match is won by the team that wins three sets.

In the case of a 2-2 tie, the deciding set (the 5th) is played to 15 points with a minimum lead of 2 points.

Olympic history

Volleyball made its Olympic Games debut in Tokyo in 1964, with the Soviet Union winning the men's gold medal and the Japanese women being crowned as champions in front of their home crowd. Since then, volleyball has continued to witness the rise and fall of great international teams, with countries as diverse as Cuba, Brazil, the Soviet Union, China, the United States, the Netherlands, Poland and Japan collecting gold medals. While power and height have become vital components of international teams, the ability of teams and coaches to devise new tactics, strategies and skills have been crucial for success at the Olympic Games.

Playing area

The playing area includes the playing court and the free zone. It shall be rectangular and symmetrical. Volleyball   Volleyball 21