Jakarta will host world volleyball

JAKARTA (JP): Women's volleyball teams from Cuba, Russia, China and South Korea will resume their rivalry in the fourth leg of this year's US$2 million World Volleyball Grand Prix scheduled for Aug. 25 to Aug. 27 at the Senayan indoor stadium.

World champion Cuba will be spearheaded by Mireya Luis and Idalmis Gato, whose jumping smashes contributed to their team's superb victory of 15-17, 15-13, 15-7,15-4 over China in last year's finals in Shanghai. The Cubans average 22.7 years in age and 180.6cm in height.

The Russian team, ranked second worldwide, will come under the direction of Nikolai Karpol, who was named coach of the year in 1989 and 1991. The team's average height is 185.3cm and its average age 22 years.

Fueling the Russian team are, among others, Valentina Oguienko, member of the 1992 Olympic runner-up team and the world's best player in 1989, Elena Batukhtina and Tatiana Gratcheva, last year's best receiver and best setter respectively.

World number four China will come with Lang Ping, who was appointed head coach in February. Lang Ping was an ace spiker from China from 1978 to 1985. She has won five gold medals in international events, including the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

This will be the second straight time the Chinese women's team will have visited Indonesia to compete in the grand prix.

The US$175,000 tournament serves as the qualifying round for next year's Olympic Games in Atlanta. (arf)