Volleyball in Canada
Encyclopedia
Volleyball
was invented in U.S.A. in 1895 and made its first appearance in Canada
in 1900 when an Ottawa
branch of the YMCA
included it in its schedule. The sport caught on and soon spread to YMCAs in Toronto
and Montreal
. These centers conducted various tournaments, which were, for a long time, the only organized manifestations of the sport in Canada
. While the sport spread throughout U.S.A, Russia
and the Orient before the First World War, it lay relatively dormant in Canada. With the creation of the Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) shortly after the Second World War, the sport gained international recognition.
Canada joined the FIVB(which stands for Federation International de Volley-ball) in 1953, the same year the Canadian Volleyball Association was founded. Gordon Odell
served as interim president before Wes McVicar took over as the association’s first president. The current
president, Dave Carey, oversees an organization of over 80,000 members. Renamed Volleyball Canada (VC),
the Association has its headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario. When founded, VC was divided into three regions -
Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal. Today, the regions are drawn along provincial/territorial lines and take in the
whole of Canada.
Canada’s first international experience in the sport took place in 1959 at the Pan-American Games in Chicago.
Today, the Canadian teams strive to qualify for all of the international tournaments for which they are eligible.
Since 1976, both the Men’s and Women’s indoor National Teams have participated in the Olympic Games and
the World Championships on several occasions. The best result for both the Men’s and Women’s teams was
achieved at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles where they finished 4th and 8th respectively.
In 1998, Volleyball Canada became the umbrella organization for the national disabled volleyball program, a
program that has had continued success since this partnership. The National Men’s Standing Disabled Volleyball
Team brought home Volleyball Canada’s first gold medal at the 2002 World Championships in Poland, and went
on to defend it’s title in 2004.
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
was invented in U.S.A. in 1895 and made its first appearance in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1900 when an Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
branch of the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
included it in its schedule. The sport caught on and soon spread to YMCAs in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. These centers conducted various tournaments, which were, for a long time, the only organized manifestations of the sport in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. While the sport spread throughout U.S.A, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and the Orient before the First World War, it lay relatively dormant in Canada. With the creation of the Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) shortly after the Second World War, the sport gained international recognition.
Canada joined the FIVB(which stands for Federation International de Volley-ball) in 1953, the same year the Canadian Volleyball Association was founded. Gordon Odell
served as interim president before Wes McVicar took over as the association’s first president. The current
president, Dave Carey, oversees an organization of over 80,000 members. Renamed Volleyball Canada (VC),
the Association has its headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario. When founded, VC was divided into three regions -
Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal. Today, the regions are drawn along provincial/territorial lines and take in the
whole of Canada.
Canada’s first international experience in the sport took place in 1959 at the Pan-American Games in Chicago.
Today, the Canadian teams strive to qualify for all of the international tournaments for which they are eligible.
Since 1976, both the Men’s and Women’s indoor National Teams have participated in the Olympic Games and
the World Championships on several occasions. The best result for both the Men’s and Women’s teams was
achieved at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles where they finished 4th and 8th respectively.
In 1998, Volleyball Canada became the umbrella organization for the national disabled volleyball program, a
program that has had continued success since this partnership. The National Men’s Standing Disabled Volleyball
Team brought home Volleyball Canada’s first gold medal at the 2002 World Championships in Poland, and went
on to defend it’s title in 2004.
Major Volleyball Events
- 1895 - William G. Morgan invents the game of volleyball
- 1947 - The FIVB (Fédération International de Volley-Ball) is founded
- 1949 - Prague, First Men's World Championship
- 1952 - Moscow, First Women's World Championship
- 1953 - First Canadian Championship
- 1959 - Canadian Men's National Volleyball Team first participates in International Competition (Pan Am Games)
- 1964 - Tokyo, First Olympic titles are awarded to Japan (Women's) and USSR (Men's)
- 1968 - Canada and USA join the Central American and Caribbean Zone, which thereafter becomes known as NORCECA
- 1972 - First international medal won by the Canadian Men's Team by placing third at the NORCECA Championship in Mexico
- 1976 - Canada hosts Montreal Olympic Games
- 1977 - First Junior Men's and Women's World Championships
- 1977 - Canada’s Men’s Team wins bronze medal at the Pan Am Games – first major game medal
- 1980 - 1st Gold Medal won by Canada internationally - NORCECA Junior's - Women (Calgary, Canada)
- 1983 - Canada hosts Universiade Games in Edmonton. Canadian men qualify for 1984 Olympics by defeating Cuba
- 1984 - Canadian men finish fourth at Los Angeles Olympic Games
- 1990 - FIVB introduces the World League
- 1991 - Canadian Men participate for the first time in the World League
- 1991 - Canada hosts NORCECA Championships in Regina and Team Canada Men qualifies for 1992 Olympics
- 1996 - Canada hosts NORCECA Olympic qualifiers for Men and Women
- 1996 - Team Canada Women participate in Atlanta Olympics
- 1996 - Beach Volleyball debuts as a full medal sport in Atlanta Olympic Games
- 1996 - Canadians John Child and Mark Heese win bronze medal for beach volleyball in Atlanta Olympics
- 1998 - Canadian Men's Junior National Team wins at NORCECA to qualify for Junior World Championships
- 1999 - Canada returns to Men’s World League and plays in it for the 1999 and 2000 seasons
- 1999 - Canada hosts Women's World Junior Championships in Saskatoon/Edmonton
- 1999 - Canada wins the bronze medal for Men’s Indoor and the gold medal for Men’s Beach (Conrad Leinemann/Jody Holden) at the 1999 Pan Am Games in Winnipeg
- 1999 - New Rules of the game
- 2000 - Canada’s Men’s Standing Disabled team wins silver medal at the #2000 Sydney Paralympic Games
- 2002 - Canada’s Men’s and Women’s Indoor National Teams qualify for World Championships
- 2002 - Canada’s Men’s Standing Disabled team wins gold medal at the 2002 World Disabled Volleyball Championships World Organization Volleyball for DisabledWorld Organization Volleyball for DisabledThe World Organization Volleyball for Disabled is an international organization that is for people with physical disabilities, WOVD is affiliated with the International Paralympic Committee. The World Organization Volleyball for Disabled was established in 1951 and was part of the International...