Women’s Pan Am Games tournament kicks off on Saturday

GUADALAJARA, Mexico, October 14, 2011 – The women’s volleyball tournament of the XVI Pan American Games starts on Saturday featuring four matches at the Pan American Volleyball Complex with a seating capacity of 4,000 spectators.

The first match of the day see United States pitted against Puerto Rico at 13:00 (local time) followed by the match of defending champions Cuba against Canada at 15:00.

Hosts Mexico meets Peru at 18:00 and the opening day action concludes with the match between world top-ranked Brazil battling Dominican Republic.

The women’s tournament has seen different champions in the past three editions of the games with Brazil winning in 1999 at Winnipeg, Canada, the Dominican Republic winning at home in Santo Domingo 2003 and Cuba taking the title at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2007.

Cuba is the most prolific gold medal winner of this tournament claiming a total of eight crowns including seven in a row starting in Cali, Colombia in 1971 and continuing the streak until Mar del Plata, Argentina in 1995.

Volleyball was included in the Pan American Games program for the first time in 1955 and besides Cuba, Brazil has won three gold medals with Mexico, United States and Dominican Republic each with one title.

The eight-team competition begins has sides divided into two pools. The pool winners advance directly to the semifinal phase while second and third place teams move on to the quarterfinals. Brazil will play in Pool A along with Cuba, Dominican Republic and Canada. Pool B includes the United States, Peru, Puerto Rico and hosts Mexico. The preliminary round schedule is as follows:

Saturday

Pool A: Cuba v Canada,  Brazil v Dominican Republic

Pool B: United States v Puerto Rico, Mexico v Peru

Sunday

Pool A: Cuba v Dominican Republic, Brazil v Canada

Pool B: United States v Peru, Puerto Rico v Mexico

Monday

Pool A: Dominican Republic v Canada, Brazil v Cuba

Pool B: Peru v Puerto Rico, United States v Mexico

Year by Year Podiums

Year     Gold     Silver    Bronze
1955     MEX      USA      BRA

1959     BRA      USA      PER

1963     BRA      USA      MEX

1967     USA      PER      CUB

1971     CUB      PER      MEX

1975     CUB      PER      MEX

1979     CUB      PER      BRA

1983     CUB      USA      PER

1987     CUB      PER      USA

1991     CUB      BRA      PER

1995     CUB      USA      CAN

1999     BRA      CUB      USA

2003     DOM     CUB      USA

2007     CUB      BRA      USA