Coaches Plamen Konstantinov, Stephane Antiga, Renan Dal Zotto and Fernando de Giorgi attended the press conference in Varna
Varna, Bulgaria, June 8, 2017 – From June 9 to 11, the city of Varna will host current Olympic champions Brazil, world champions Poland, Canada and of course the “Bulgarian Lions”, who will have the legendary support of the crowd at the Palace of Culture and Sports in the maritime capital of Bulgaria. Fans can expect great volleyball battles between some of the best teams and players in the world – truly a clash of volleyball titans.
Speaking at the press conference ahead of the tournament, Brazil coach Renan Dal Zotto said: “For me and my team it is a real honour to be here. In the first weekend in Italy the tournament was with four equal teams, so now will be the same. The teams here are also strong opponents.” The Olympic champions will open their campaign in Varna with a match against Canada.
“Canada is a team in the process of growing and it will not be easy. In the second day we will play Poland, the world champions, and I expect a tough match. And in the last day we play the hosts Bulgaria – one country with big traditions in volleyball and a strong team, so it will be difficult again. The matches here are really important for us because even we qualify for the Finals as hosts we must try more and more options to have a perfect view of our players and team,” said Dal Zotto.
Canada coach Stephane Antiga said: “We are really happy to be here. The level of the teams is higher than in the first week of the World League. We won two matches and now we are in a good position. The teams here are strong, so I expect difficult matches against difficult opponents.”
The Canadians defeated Belgium and USA in five-sets before losing 1-3 against Serbia in their last match in Novi Sad, Serbia. The team's biggest stars include top scorer John Gordon Perrin and setter Tyler Sanders.
Bulgaria coach Plamen Konstantinov said: “There is no doubt that some of the best world volleyball teams are here in Varna which will bring some really positive emotions to the Bulgarian spectators. I expect hard matches. The Brazilian team is the most titled in the last few years but I can't say that Poland are weaker. With their new coach, Canada play really good volleyball as well. Thus there will be no easy games for us. We will play for the win in every match but I don't want to give promises in advance. One thing is for sure – we expect great support from the legendary crowd in Varna, which was also behind us in many difficult moments over the years.”
Poland coach Ferdinando de Giorgi said: “First of all I would like thank you for the hospitality. I am a coach of this team for less than a month and the expectations are really high. Some of the best teams are here in Varna which will help me to get to know not only my players but the level of world volleyball as well. We expect very hard matches so our game has to be organized optimally. According to me, the Brazilian team is the favourite here in Varna. I would like to wish good luck to all coaches. I hope that the fans will enjoy our games.”
The tournament in Varna will feature many of the best volleyball players in the world, including world-class blockers Dawid Konarski (Poland), Graham Vigrass (Canada) and Nikolay Nikolov (Bulgaria), high-scoring players Evandro Guerra (Brazil) and Tsvetan Sokolov (Bulgaria), playmakers Bruno Rezende (Brazil) and Fabian Drzyzga (Poland) and leading players including the likes of Canadian Tyler Sanders.