Tasnim – Iranian national volleyball team's head coach Igor Kolakovic says that to win the first medal on the world stage is very important for Iran.





Iran beat France 3-2 (38-36, 25-23, 22-25, 25-27, 15-11) to earn the best ever finish at the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Grand Champions Cup, after finishing fifth in 2009 and fourth in 2013.

“It was a very interesting and high-quality volleyball game. I’m so happy because we finished with a victory," Kolakovic told fivb.org.

"After the game between the USA and Italy, we knew we already had the bronze medal, so I asked the players if they wanted to play or not. They told me they wanted to play to win because they wanted to finish the tournament with a victory. So that makes me happy,” Kolakovic noted.

“We’ve had a lot of problems with injury and not much time for recovery. But we finished the year in the best way, for Iran and the Iranian people. This is very important because the people have supported the Iranian team and they deserve this medal as much as the players,” he added.

“This first medal for Iran is very important, so this tournament win was important for Iranian volleyball. And it provides us with extra motivation for next season and for our young players,” Kolakovic stated.