All participants in Monday’s press conference in Lodz
Lodz, Poland, December 11, 2017 – On the eve of the first competition day in Pool B of the FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship, a press conference was held at the Atlas Arena in Lodz, where organizers, coaches and captains shared their common anticipation of a high-level tournament where the best teams, the best hosts and the best fans in the world will come together for a great celebration of volleyball.
Hanna Zdanowska, Mayor of Lodz: “I would like to welcome all the teams and the fans here in Lodz, the capital of Polish volleyball. I hope we are going to be part of an extraordinary sports event. I wish success to all the participants in the tournament. Enjoy your stay in Lodz.”
Lubor Halanda, FIVB Control Committee President: “Welcome all participating teams on behalf of the FIVB. I would like to pass many thanks from the President of FIVB, Dr. Ary S. Graça F°, to Professional Sports Events for organizing this championship at such a high level and to Ms. Hanna Zdanowska, the mayor of the host city of Lodz. What we will have here are the top volleyball stars and the best volleyball fans in the world together.”
Konrad Klecha, Professional Sports Events, Head of Venue Operations: “We are proud to organize the FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship for the first time in Poland and we would like to thank FIVB for the trust. Poland has already organized great volleyball events, but this is the one we were missing. Now we are ready to start the competition.”
Left to right: Lubor Halanda, Konrad Klecha, Hanna Zdanowska
Javier Weber, coach of Personal Bolivar (Argentina): “This is a great opportunity to play in a tournament of such a high level. This is a big championship, I believe the best in the world. We have great conditions to pass to the next round. I am convinced that Poland is the best country to host this prestigious event.”
Leonardo Patti, captain of Personal Bolivar (Argentina): “I am very happy to participate in this tournament with the best eight teams in the world. FIVB is a great organizer and Poland has great conditions to host it.”
Vladimir Alekno, coach of Zenit Kazan (Russia): “For us it is also a great honour to take part in this competition. I believe that the level of this tournament will be very high. It will be a great celebration of our sport. This is also a big opportunity for us to win the Club World Championship for the first time.”
Alexander Butko, captain of Zenit Kazan (Russia): “I am happy to take part in this special event. There is more than one reason for that. First, this time we don’t have to travel very far and this is important. Second, Poland is a country where people love volleyball and all the players and the fans will enjoy the tournament.”
Left to right: coaches Vladimir Alekno, Javier Weber, Roberto Piazza, Shen Qiong
Shen Qiong, coach of Shanghai Golden Age (China): “It is a great honour to participate in the Men’s Club World Championship. We are happy to play among the best teams because this is a big opportunity for us to learn from the best in the world.”
Chen Zhang, captain of Shanghai Golden Age (China): “It is great to participate in this prestigious event. I would like to thank the FIVB for the wild card that they gave us. I hope to have the chance to play and learn from and with the best teams. We would like to have more opportunities like this in the future.”
Roberto Piazza, coach of Skra Belchatow (Poland): “We are happy to be part of this amazing tournament and to have the opportunity to play with the strongest teams in the world. Thanks to the Mayor of Lodz for hosting this event. Our team could be an important part of this tournament. We will do our best to reach the next round.”
Michal Winiarski, assistant coach of Skra Belchatow (Poland): “I am very happy that this is the first press conference that I participate in with my new hat as an assistant coach. It is great to be in Lodz and I hope this city will be lucky for us.”