Tore, the official mascot of all volleyball events held in the region of Apulia, waves the flag of the upcoming FIVB Women's World Championship Italy 2014 in front of 50,000 fans at San Nicola stadium in Bari
Bari, Italy, September 5, 2014 – The FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship Italy 2014 made an appearance at the San Nicola stadium in Bari yesterday, where the upcoming volleyball showdown was promoted before a crowd of almost 50,000 spectators gathered to watch a friendly match starring the national teams of Italy and of the Netherlands.
Tore, the official mascot accompanying all volleyball events in the region of Apulia, waved the official flag of the World Championship and distributed t-shirts with the logo of the competition before approaching some of Italy’s football stars, including national team coach Antonio Conte, who was also presented with an official t-shirt, and players Quagliarella, Buffon, and El Shaarawy.
“It has been a wonderful evening for our sports community where we once more showed that the city of Bari is capable of hosting major international events,” said the President of CONI Puglia - the regional division of the National Olympic Committee - Elio Sannicandro. “It was very nice to see our volleyball mascot make a round of the stadium, right next to the football pitch, to show a sense of unity and cohesion within our sports community.”
The Vice President of the Italian Volleyball Federation, Giuseppe Manfredi, who hails from the region of Apulia, added: “It was a wonderful evening, and I would like to thank the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) for providing us with an opportunity to promote the upcoming FIVB Women’s World Championship here tonight. This event is going to be held in Italy for the first time in history and Bari is one of the six cities that will be playing host to this much anticipated tournament.”