The head coaches talking with the media during the pre-tournament press conference in Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad, Russia, June 15, 2016 - Russia are ready to kick-start their FIVB Volleyball World League campaign even in the absence of key players said coach Vladimir Alekno, who was speaking at a pre-tournament press conference in Kaliningrad.
Plamen Konstantinov, head coach of Bulgaria: "This season we will play both in the FIVB World League and CEV European League. Unfortunately we didn’t qualify for the Olympic Games, so it’s the right time to give a chance to a new generation of Bulgarian players."
Stephane Antiga, head coach of Poland: "The World Olympic Qualification process ended on June 5, so no preparations for the World League could be held. We had a kind of a holiday in between the two tournaments. I wanted to give my players a little rest but due to the FIVB regulations no less than 10 players from the previous tournament can be in the roster."
Nikola Grbic, head coach of Serbia: "We put on a good performance last season in the World League, and I hope we can play as well this year. I'm happy to be here in Kaliningrad in the company of these three big teams. We'll try to do our best."
Vladimir Alekno, head coach of Russia: "We've just finished our preparations in Anapa. Our main aim this year is the Olympic games in Rio, but still we want to fight for the World League prizes too. We have some problems with the roster and due to health problems our opposite Maxim Mikhailov can't play yet. But still we are in a good mood and ready to fight in Kaliningrad."