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17 July 2007
For Immediate Release

Volleyball Hall of Fame to Honor Six International Greats

---Bob Ctvrtlik (USA) - Player Category
---Kerri Pottharst (Australia) - Beach Player Category
---Andrea Gardini (Italy) - Player Category
---Dimitar Zlatanov (Bulgaria) - Player Category
---Carlos Nuzman (Brazil) - Leader Category
---Yuan Weimin (China) - Coach Category

HOLYOKE, Mass. --- Six international greats of volleyball will be honored here in the birthplace of the sport on Thursday, Oct. 11. Bob Ctvrtlik of the United States, Kerri Pottharst of Australia, Andrea Gardini of Italy, Dimitar Zlatanov of Bulgaria, Carlos Nuzman of Brazil and Yuan Weimin of China will be inducted to the Volleyball Hall of Fame in an afternoon ceremony.

The 22nd enshrinement event will take place at 2 p.m. at the Hall of Fame at 444 Dwight St. in Heritage State Park. Admission to the ceremony is free of charge, however it is advised to call ahead to reserve seating.

The Volleyball Hall of Fame Reception and Dinner will be held at the Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House beginning at 6 p.m. Short videos highlighting the inductees' careers in volleyball will be shown.

Ctvrtlik was a three-time Olympian for the U. S, Men's Indoor National Team. He was instrumental in propelling the Americans past the Soviet team to capture Gold at the 1988 Olympic games in Seoul. He later captained the 1992 U. S. team that took the Bronze in Barcelona. Ctvrtlik is credited with improving the team's world ranking from 15th to 4th within a mere 10 months of his return. He was awarded "Best Player in the World" in 1995, however his USA team finished out of medal contention at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.

Australia's most decorated indoor and beach player, Pottharst, grabbed the Gold in Beach Volleyball at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. One of Australia's most popular sports heros, Pottharst and her team partner, Natalie Cook, were selected as one of the two "Best Women's Beach Volleyball Teams of the Last Decade (1990 - 2000)" by the Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) as a part of its "20th Century Best" Awards.

Gardini, a key component of the FIVB-crowned "Best Volleyball Team of the 20th Century," was a tough, effective and popular middle blocker for the "Squadra Azzurrini." Few teams in the world of sport have been as dominant as the Italian Men's Volleyball Team of the 1990's. Gardini and the Italian team were the first ever to win three consecutive World Championship titles (1990, 1994 and 1998). Gardini won four gold medals at the European Championships (1989, 1993, 1995, and 1999). His team dominated world league play in the 1990's by taking the title eight times between 1990 and 2000. Gardini's team took Olympic Silver in Atlanta 1996, in what many call the greatest volleyball match ever.

Zlatanov defined volleyball in Bulgaria for a generation. He was selected as one of 25, along with Gardini, to be place on the ballot to determine the best players of the 20th century by the FIVB. He was one of the great all-round players, as his abilities at every part of the game set him apart from most of his peers. He won eight championships with the CSKA Volleyball Club and competed on the Bulgarian squad in three Olympics (1972, 1976 and 1980). Zlatanov earned a Silver Medal at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow.

President of the Brazilian Olympic Committee since 1995, Carlos Arthur Nuzman began his career as an athlete. He played volleyball with the Brazilian team for two World Championships (1962, 1966) and the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Nuzman was the president of the Brazilian Volleyball Federation from 1975 to 1995, an era of many victories for Brazilian men's volleyball. During that time, Brazil won first place at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and was the champion of the 1993 World League and the 1989 Youth World, Junior Youth (3 times). The Brazilian women's team was the 1994 World Vice Champion, the 1995 Grand Prix winner and World Youth Champion (1987, 1989).

Yuan spent his entire career in the world of sports. He lead the China Women's National Team to gold medals at the 1982 World Championships, the 1983 World Cup, the 1983 World Grand Prix and the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. As president of the Asian Volleyball Confederation (1997 - 2001), he is credited with helping to popularize volleyball on the Asian continent, initiating new tournaments and overseeing the rapid and impressive development of Asian Beach Volleyball.

Yuan served as the president of the China Olympic committee and in 2004 served as executive president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympiad. At the end of 2004 he retired at the age of 65.

The Induction Celebration continues with the Volleyball Hall of Fame Girls' High School Showcase of Champions at Holyoke Community College, Oct. 12-14 and the 16-team Women's Collegiate Volleyball Hall of Fame Induction Tournament at Smith, Mount Holyoke, Holyoke Community and Amherst Colleges on Friday night, Oct. 19 and Saturday Oct. 20.

For more information on how to obtain tickets or to sponsor Induction Celebration events, contact the Volleyball Hall of Fame at (413) 536-0926, by e-mail at info@volleyhall.org or by visiting the website at www.volleyhall.org.

INDUCTEE photos available to the MEDIA at:Inductee Photos

The Volleyball Hall of Fame, incorporated in 1978, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring the great men and women of the sport, and the promotion of volleyball worldwide.