Volleyball

The game volleyball originally called “mintonette,” was invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan after the invention of basketball only four years before. Morgan designed the game to be a combination of basketball, baseball, tennis, and handball. Today volleyball has spread to over 211 countries around the world.  Around the 1940s, some European national federations began discussing the need for creating an international governing body for the sport volleyball. In 1964, volleyball was first played in the Olympics in Tokyo. Volleyball became a part of the Olympic Games, which allowed it to grow even more. Also, in the 1964 Olympics, the Japanese used a volleyball that consisted of a rubber casing with leather panels. A similar ball is used in modern volleyball competitions. In 1969 anew international event, the world cup was introduced. The world cup would be turned into a qualifying event for the 1991 Olympic Games.in 2006, prize money became a major deal with $20 million  dollars being distributed amongst 16 participating teams from 5 continents. The World League is sometimes confused with the other international volleyball competitions Volleyball World Cup and Volleyball World Championships. In 1995, the sport of Volleyball turned 100 years old. Major events in the 90s took place including the establishment of an annual competitions for men’s and woman’s volleyball.