The FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship Italy 2014 will be the sporting event of the year for the city of Bari
Bari, Italy, September 19, 2014 – The FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship Italy 2014 is about to stop in Bari and on Friday local authorities and representatives of the Organising Committee addressed the media to share their feelings and expectations with only four days left before the action starts at Palaflorio.
“I am very happy with the fact that Bari was chosen among the venues of this competition, which strengthens our position on the global map. Bari has hosted many international events lately,” said the mayor of Bari, Antonio Decaro. “Our state-of-the-art arena, Palaflorio, is just about to open its doors to host matches of the Volleyball Women’s World Championship. The venue has been upgraded, also from a technological standpoint, and I am confident that we are ready to take on this exciting challenge.”
“It is a true honour and also a matter of prestige to be among the hosts of a competition of this calibre,” Guglielmo Minervini, Sports Councillor of the Region of Apulia, said. “Some of the world’s best teams will be competing here in Bari, including China, which has, potentially, a large number of supporters here in our neighbourhood. It is going to be a terrific opportunity for our region to showcase its beauty and organisational skills.”
“We have been working hard to make sure that this championship will leave a legacy for our city once the competition draws to a close,” added the Sports Councillor of the City of Bari, Pietro Petruzzelli. “We have been working hard especially to make sure that our city will deliver high standards in terms of hospitality. About 5,000 tickets were distributed for free in order to attract as many young people as possible to this event and to get them closer to the sport.”
The Vice President of the Italian Volleyball Federation, Giuseppe Manfredi, who hails from Apulia, said: “Our region plays a leading role in developing and growing volleyball. We have about 25,000 licensed players, an ‘army’ of 4,000 officials, 1,000 volleyball coaches and another 700 referees. Unfortunately, four years ago when the Men’s World Championship was held in Italy, Palaflorio was not ready to host an event of this calibre. This time, however, we could not miss such an opportunity, which is about to attract many fans and journalists, including those from abroad, to our city and region. Just for you to know, there are about 90 foreign media accredited for the first round of the competition, which are massive figures. I would like to thank our local authorities, and particularly the City Council as well as the government of our region, for all their support.”
The action will get under way on Tuesday when Bari plays host to matches from Pool D, which features Azerbaijan, Belgium, China, Cuba, Japan and Puerto Rico.