Volleyball

Volleyball is played six against six, separated by a net 2.43 metres high for men and 2.24 metres high for women, with a maximum of three touches per team and without ever holding the ball. The rhythm of the game is dictated by rotation: with every change of serve, the players rotate one position round the court, so everyone must be able to attack, defend and receive. The sport was invented in 1895, when William G. Morgan in the United States developed ‘mintonette’ as a less physically demanding alternative to basketball; the game spread to Europe with American troops during the First World War, the international federation was founded in 1947, and it made its Olympic debut at the 1964 Tokyo Games. Italy is consistently among the world’s leading nations in both men’s and women’s volleyball. The modern game is dominated by the ball rotation and the serve: jump serves exceed 110 km/h and put the receiving side under pressure. The libero, a role introduced in the late 1990s, cannot attack but is the linchpin of the back row. At the 20th Mediterranean Games in Taranto in 2026, the volleyball competition will take place from 22 to 30 August at the PalaPentassuglia and the PalaVentura in Brindisi, and the PalaMazzola in Taranto, with two titles up for grabs: the men’s and women’s tournaments.