Press release

Tokyo, Japan, June 6, 2012 - FIVB Men´s World Olympic Qualification Tournament.

21 years old setter of Australia, Harrison Peacock from Adelade explains that one of the reasons Australia became what they are today is a unique exchange program between Australia and Sweden. 

Swedish volleyball league champions Linkoping VC has been the home for many of the Australian top players recently. Peacock Swedish Champion this year and awarded as the MVP and best setter of the Swedish league share his story;

"Almost every Australian national players has gone through an exchange program at the Australian Institute of Sport and the Swedish Champions Linkoping VC. I got a scholarship two years ago and was elected to go to Sweden, and that´s something I never regretted." 

Luke Smith is another player that play in the Swedish Club and this autumn 2.06 meters high Andrew Grant will join the same team. Since 2008 12 players has passed the club as professionals. 

So how did all these Aussies end up in Scandinavia thousands of miles from Australia? At the other side of the world.

One reason might be the coach in Linkoping VC, the Australian Andrew Strugnell, team manager of Australia during the Qualification Tournament in Japan.

Peacock said that it was easy to adapt in Sweden except of one thing. The climate.

"I was shocked by the cold weather in Sweden. In Australia we spend all time outside but in Sweden it was so cold during the seasons, below 10 degrees, so I spend most of the time indoor studying. In the future i will study medicine, but right now thats hard to combine with playing Volleyball", he said.

Sweden had some glory days during the late eighties and early nineties but is not known for being a top volleyball nation at the moment.

"Compared to Australia the level is high", Peacock said. "In Australia we do not have a league, so I have improved a lot as a setter by playing in Sweden", he said. His strengths he believes is his ability to reach the boll in difficult situations and make something good out of it. 

He entered the Australia national team two years ago and explains that the aim of this FIVB Men´s World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Japan is to end up in the Summer Olympic.

"Our goal is to be Asian Champions and earn a ticket to the Olympic Games in London. We are a young team with a lot of potential and we want to change the way other sees us. Established instead of promising," he said.