ABSTRACT
Brazil’s international success in football is well documented and recognized. However, the country’s achievements in the sport of volleyball are equally impressive. The men’s and women’s national teams were ranked number one in both the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) rankings in 2014 (FIVB, 2014a, 2014b) and the beach volleyball rankings in 2013 (FIVB, 2013a, 2013b). Between 1997 and 2013, the Brazilian men’s national team won eight FIVB Volleyball World League championships and three FIVB Volleyball World Cups. Over the past three Olympic Games (2004, 2008 and 2012), the men’s and women’s teams have also combined to win three gold medals. With respect to beach volleyball, Brazil has had at least one men’s or women’s team ranked in the top four since 1993 and have won a combined 11 Olympic medals since 1996 (Confederação Brasileira de Voleibol, 2014a).
