The 2003 World Cups represent the most important international competition for men and women in the pre-Olympic year. The world’s elite teams will have, as their main focus in the coming competition season, the goal of qualifying for this important tournament.

Indeed, the Road to Athens 2004 goes directly via Japan where players contest matches in cities from the northern city of Sapporo to the south in Kagoshima. The women’s tournament is played in Tokyo, Nagoya, Sapporo, Osaka, Kagoshima, Sendai and Toyama and the men’s tournament in Tokyo, Horoshima, Fukuoka, Nagano, Hamamatsu and Okayama.

The first World Cup was played in Warsaw, Poland in 1965 and until 1989 it was an event that put the Olympic medallists to the test just one year after their tournament. Three out of six tournaments confirmed the Olympic result while on four other occasions the result was overturned. East Germany, 4th at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico won at home in 1969. In 1969 the USSR, silver medallists from Montreal 1976 won in Tokyo the year after, Cuba, unplaced in Seoul 1988 won in 1989 in Italy and the Italians, fifth in Barcelona in 1992 won in 1995.
The tournament took on a new look in 1991 when the calendar was modified, making the quadrennial event a qualifier for the Olympic Games.
In recent years, Japan, which brings prestigious sponsors, powerful media and enthusiastic spectators to the World Cup, has been the regular host of this important FIVB event

In November 2003, the world’s best teams meet in Japan to contest the World Cup tournaments. The 12 teams (for men and for women) are made up of Japan, as the host country, the five 2003 Continental Champions and four best Vice-Champions, plus two wild card teams nominated jointly by FIVB and the Japan Volleyball Association.
The prize is rich ? the top three teams directly qualifying for the Athens 2004 Olympics.
Teams play a single-round robin format, in two parallel groups (Site A and Site B), with some teams switching to the other Site at the half way mark to accommodate matches with all teams.

Japan brings to the tournament some of the finest state-of-the art sports complexes in the world, as well as the world-renowned Japanese hospitality and an enthusiasm for the sport of Volleyball that spans decades. Host broadcasters FUJI TV bring with them a wealth of technical expertise and experience and will deliver the excitement and action of the 2003 World Cups into the living rooms of Volleyball enthusiasts around the world.

In the “Countdown to the World Cups” access this site regularly to learn more about the competition, the sports complexes, as well as the teams and the stars most likely to compete.