Lausanne, Switzerland, February 22, 2017 – Nanjing, China, has been officially announced as the venue for the 2017 FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix Finals, when the top teams in Group 1 will play for gold at the FIVB’s top annual competition for women’s national teams.
The Finals of the 25th edition of the World Grand Prix will be held at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre from August 2 to 6 when hosts and Olympic champions China will be joined by the top five teams from the Group 1 Preliminary Round standings to compete for this year’s title.
“I look forward to a great event in August,” said FIVB President Dr. Ary S. Graça F°. “I am sure the Chinese fans will be pleased to see their team in action after their victory at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, which should guarantee an exciting event for participants, spectators and TV and internet viewers.”
Nanjing, China will host the World Grand Prix Finals after Bangkok, Thailand saw Brazil win the event in 2016. The last time China welcomed the competition’s Finals was in 2012 in Ningbo when USA won gold. China will hope to add a second World Grand Prix title to their name after the gold claimed in Andria, Italy in 2003.
It will be the seventh time that the FIVB World Grand Prix finals are played in mainland China, after Shanghai hosted the Final Four tournaments for three years running in 1994, 1995 and 1996, and Ningbo held the Final Six events in 2007, 2010 and 2012.
Nanjing is the capital of Jiangsu Province and is the second largest city in eastern China, with a population of almost 10 million. The city hosted the 2014 Youth Olympic Games, where beach volleyball made its debut in the competition.
The FIVB World Grand Prix Group 1 Finals from August 2 to 6 will begin four days after the Group 2 Finals from July 28 to 29 in Ostrava, Czech Republic. The Group 3 Finals will take place a week earlier in Canberra, Australia from July 22 to 23.
The Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre served as the main venue for the 2014 Youth Olympic Games and also welcomed the National Games of China in 2005. The Olympic Park features a 61,443-capacity multi-purpose stadium, as well as a gymnasium, an aquatic complex and tennis centre.