Volleyball made its Olympic Games debut in Tokyo in 1964, with the Soviet Union winning the men's gold medal and the Japanese women being crowned as champions in front of their home crowd. Since then, volleyball has continued to witness the rise and fall of great international teams, with countries as diverse as Cuba, Brazil, the Soviet Union, China, the United States, the Netherlands, Poland and Japan collecting gold medals. While power and height have become vital components of international teams, the ability of teams and coaches to devise new tactics, strategies and skills have been crucial for success at the Olympic Games.

(BOCOG)