Cruel prospect: international volleyball is heading straight for a white season. The international federation (FIVB) announced last weekend the cancellation of the VolleyBall Nations League (VNL) for the year 2020. Initially, the men's and women's world circuit had been postponed until after the summer, in due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But the FIVB was forced to remove it from the calendar. “ With our partners, we explored all options for VNL 2020 to take place, explained the president of the FIVB, the Brazilian Ary S. Graça. What also makes the VNL so special is that it is a global event appreciated by players but also by spectators from all over the world. This strength also increases its risks during this pandemic. It would therefore have been imprudent, and even irresponsible, to organize the event, to the extent that we cannot guarantee players and all stakeholders the certainty that this VNL 2020 will be safe and accessible to all. Our attention now turns to VNL 2021.” The FIVB specifies in a press release that the final tournament of the VNL in 2021 remains allocated to China for women and Italy for men.
