Mexico to stage FIVB World Grand Prix first weekend
 

MEXICO CITY, Mexico, July 24, 2014 – The Mexican National Volleyball Federation held a press conference to announce Mexico City as host of Pool Q preliminary round matches as the 2014 FIVB World Grand Prix kicks off on July 25 at Olympic Gymnasium Juan de la Barrera.
 

The local press was welcomed at the host hotel by Jesus Perales Navarro, President of the Mexican Volleyball Federation, who called for a round of applause for the Mexican National Team that last weekend earned the final ticket to the FIVB Women’s World Championship in Italy winning the NORCECA final playoff in Trinidad and Tobago.
 

“These are changing times for volleyball in Mexico, we are sending two teams to the FIVB World Championships, we hosted the FIVB World League past June and the FIVB Beach Volleyball U-17 World Championship just a couple of days ago, and now not only we’ll make our debut at the FIVB World Grand Prix but we’ll stage the events opening intercontinental round weekend,” Perales Navarro said.
 

The official venue is the Olympic Gymnasium Juan de la Barrera, built as volleyball site for the 1968 Olympic Games and that recently hosted the thirteenth edition of the Women’s Pan American Cup, a qualifier to the 2015 Grand Prix.
 

Also attending the press conference members of Mexico’s sports authorities, Victor De Lucio Avila of the National Council of Sports, Carlos Lezama of the Mexican Olympic Committee, Ruben Aguirre Gonzalez Director of Sports at Benito Juarez in charge of the Olympic Gymnasium Juan de la Barrera, Oscar Soto Carrillo Director of the High Performance Sports Institute in Mexico DF; along with Coach Jorge Azair, Assistant Coach Claudio Torres and Mexico’s National Team.
 

They all intervened stating the importance of joining efforts to provide the necessary elements to pursue good results which will sustain Mexico as part of volleyball’s elite tournaments. Mexico is determined to impulse volleyball as one of the most practiced team sports in the country.
 

Coach Jorge Azair explained “it is not by chance that Mexico is part of the FIVB Grand Prix, everyone has contributed to make this possible and the team has worked hard to perform to its best in representing Mexico. This tournament will be our most important preparation at an international level previous to the World Championship in Italy and I’m confident the players will substantially improve”.