FIVB World Grand Prix gets underway in Japan, China, Italy: Turkey spring surprise over USA, Brazil beat Thailand in opening exchanges

20.06.08 - 12:38 ... source : FIVB

... Japan are playing in Kobe this weekend against USA, Turkey and Kazakhstan Lausanne, June 20, 2008 – The first weekend of the 2008 FIVB World Grand Prix is underway, with Preliminary Round matches being played in Japan, China and Italy from Friday to Sunday.Turkey beat USA 3-1 in Kobe, Japan, in Pool A on Friday afternoon and Brazil downed Thailand 3-0 in Pool B in Ningbo, China.Two-time winners USA, hosts Japan, Turkey and Kazakhstan play against each other at the Green Arena in Kobe in Pool A."We got the ticket for the Beijing Olympics at the OQT, and we will learn from this World Grand Prix just how we are going to play our games in Beijing. We will be able to pick up some useful tips by playing against strong teams in the World Grand Prix. The team is in very good condition and has high motivation," said Japan Head Coach Shoichi Yanagimoto ...» Next (HTML)