The World Cup is the first chance to realize a dream: being part of the Olympic family and, above all, living for two weeks in the "Olympic Village".
Every single athlete, during the tough period of his career, keeps the Olympics dream firmly in mind. Some (a few part of athletes) fight to win a medals, others to get closer to the podium and the very majority to share an extraordinary experience.

Each four year, a few months before the Olympic Games beginning, Volleyball assigns the first six berths (3 for women and 3 for men) through the World Cup.

Since 1977, after the first edition held in Montevideo (Uruguay), Japan hosts this long and tricky tournament in which 12 teams will play for two weeks in 8 different cities.

These the squads we are going to see this year:

- Japan, which participates as host country,
- the five winners of each Continental Championship: Italy, Cuba, Brazil, Kenya and Thailand (best after Japan and China, who is already qualified to the Olympic Games as host country);
- the vice-champions of Europe, Norceca, South-America and Asia confederations: Serbia, USA, Peru and Korea (best after Thailand);
- and finally Poland and Dominican Republic, which received a wild card from FIVB and Fuji TV (the host broadcaster).

As I wrote above, this is a long and tricky tournament, mostly the women’s one. First of all because there are not less than six or seven teams that could fight for the top three positions. Then the tournament will be played using the round robin system and the players have to face 11 matches without any concentration drop.
Usually Volleyball teams deal with a preliminary phase, which will qualify for the semis and, eventually, for the final. World Championship, Olympics Games and other main tournaments use actually this system.
Athletes get used to adjust their energy, well knowing that the emotion and pressure will raise getting closer to the tournament's end. Everybody know that is necessary save the best energies for the last part.
In this case, instead, from the very beginning to the end, each team has to play each rally thinking that it could be crucial. They have to manage a lot of transfers, many matches and practices without wasting any unnecessary energy. The girls have to walk straightforward out of exciting (in case of victory) as well as out of discouraging (in case of defeat).

Only keeping the right pace, avoiding any slip due to excess of self-satisfaction as well as distrust concern, they can hope to go through the long trip that will start tomorrow.

Bye bye  andrea zorzi