Team profile |
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Argentina, under the guidance of new head coach Julio Velasco, will be looking to continue building on the team’s progress over recent seasons. They finished a highly respectable sixth in last year’s World League, improving on their 10th-place finish 12 months earlier. However, their three previous showings on the World League stage were even better, the team coming fifth twice and fourth on the other occasion. Velasco is targeting further highs to add to his resume after a glittering coaching career largely spent overseas. He has said he wishes to “give back Argentine volleyball all what Argentine volleyball gave me”.
Argentina commenced their international journey in the sport at the South American Championship in Rio de Janeiro in 1951, claiming fourth place. Their first World Championship participation came in 1960 in the same Brazilian city, where they finished 11th. Since then the Argentine men have competed in nine World Championships, a bronze medal-winning campaign on home territory in 1982 being their best effort to date. Argentina also took the bronze medal at the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988, their highest finish in six appearances at the Olympic Games. Their medal haul from the men’s tournament at the Pan American Games is five, one gold and four bronzes.
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Coach profile |
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Julio Velasco is a serial winner. As coach of the Italian men’s team, he won the World Championship in 1990 and 1994, and took a silver medal at the 1996 Olympic Games. He also led the team to victory in the World League four times and claimed European Championship titles in 1989, 1993 and 1995 along with a World Cup gold in 1995. He won the men’s Asian Championship with Iran in 2011 and 2013, and steered the Iranians to qualification for the 2013 World League. As coach of Panini Modena, Velasco won four league titles in Italy and the Italian Cup three times. The Argentine’s other passion is football and during his time in Italy he worked in administrative roles with Lazio and Inter Milan!! |
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