Nickname(s) Azzurri Home Away Best result (1996, 2004, 2016) | FIVB ranking 4 (as of August 2016) Appearances 11 (First in 1976) Appearances 16 (First in 1949) | |
Association Italian Volleyball Federation Confederation European Volleyball Confederation | ||
The Italy men's national volleyball team is the volleyball national team of Italy. It dominated international volleyball competitions in the 1990s and early 2000s, by winning three World Championships in a row (1990, 1994 and 1998), six European Championships, one World Cup (1995) and eight World League (1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999 and 2000). However, the great Italian showcase of records is considered incomplete due to the failed win of Olympic Games: since 1996, Italy is the only national team that has achieved olympic semifinals every time, but never reached the gold medal. That's why local media talk about "the Olympic curse".
Contents
- Golden Team
- Mediterranean Games
- Goodwill Games
- Current roster
- Record Attendance
- Kit providers
- Sponsorship
- Media
- References
Golden Team
Julio Velasco In 1989 he was hired to coach the Italian National Men’s Team. He immediately led them to a Gold Medal at the European Championships in 1989, which his team won twice more in 1993 and 1995. The team also won a Silver Medal at the World Cup in 1989. He de-emphasized the specialization trend of the 1980s. He emphasized the concept of the “square”, team unity where the team was better than the sum of its players. He was meticulous, well prepared and very demanding, but he knew how to win. Starting at the 1990 World Championships and the 1990 Goodwill Games, the Italian National team swept the world volleyball events for five years. They won a Gold Medal in the World Champion-ships in 1990 and 1994, the World League in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994 and 1995, 1991, the Mediterranean Games, and the 1993 Grand Champions Cup. They won a Silver Medal at the Olympic Games. Julio Velasco left the Italian National Men’s Team in 1996. Velasco in 1989-1996 created Golden Team with Players such as Andrea Gardini, Giani, Bernardi, Gravina, Bracci, Tofoli, Lucchetta, Papi, Pasinato and Meoni.
Mediterranean Games
Goodwill Games
Current roster
The following is the Italian roster in the men's volleyball tournament of the 2016 Summer Olympics. ‹See Tfd›
Head coach: Gianlorenzo Blengini
Record Attendance
Kit providers
The table below shows the history of kit providers for the Italy national volleyball team.
Sponsorship
Primary sponsors include: main sponsors like Kinder, Honda and Asics, other sponsors: Visit Trentino, Errea, Santal, Diadora, EthicSport, Reaxing, Crai, Nutrilite, Uliveto and Winform.
Media
Italy's matches and friendlies are currently televised by RAI and Rai Sport 1.
