16/09/2019 18:00
Finland join Czech Republic and Estonia to host EuroVolley 2021 Men
CEV EuroVolley 2021 Men
Luxembourg, September 16, 2019. Finland join Czech Republic and Estonia – and one more country that the CEV will confirm in due course – to host the 2021 edition of CEV EuroVolley Men! The announcement follows today’s Finnish Day at the continental showpiece event held in Ljubljana, where some 2,500 white-and-blue fans attended the match between Finland and titleholders Russia. EuroVolley returns to Finland after the land of a thousand lakes previously played host to the men’s competition in 1993 as well as to both the men’s and women’s tournaments in 1977.
Finland, where the popularity of Volleyball has grown tremendously since their men’s national team finished fourth at the 2007 EuroVolley in Moscow, will be hosting one of the four pools of the continental showpiece event in Tampere – a city that has become the real home to the Finnish national team after hosting a number of major international competitions.
The announcement provides a further boost to the growth of Volleyball in the country, after earlier this summer the women’s national team made their first EuroVolley appearance since 1989, while the men have been a force to reckon with for many years, finishing as high as 9th at the 2014 FIVB World Championship in Poland.
“We have changed the format of EuroVolley in an effort to provide opportunities for multiple countries to host the showpiece event for national teams and we welcome Finland as one of the four countries due to host the 2021 edition of EuroVolley Men,” CEV President Aleksandar Boričić said. “I am confident that EuroVolley will help us grow Volleyball in Finland even further. We are about to fulfil our mission to make sure that by 2021 as many as 16 countries will have hosted our elite European Championship in a span of two years only.”
The President of the Finnish Volleyball Association, Mr Pasi Sydänlammi, was equally happy with the news. “This is definitely great news for Finnish Volleyball. We have the greatest Volleyball fans in Finland and this a unique opportunity to create unforgettable moments in our home ground,” he said. “Special thanks to the City of Tampere for being so active in this process, as they really see the value of hosting this kind of major events for the area and the whole country.”
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