Tehran, Feb 15, IRNA – Renowned Argentinean Head Coach of Iranian men?s national volleyball team Julio Velasco who has been summoned home to lead his country?s national team bid farewell to the team that he competently coached since 2011.
The Iranian Sports and Youth Minister Mahmoud Goudarzi was present in the farewell ceremony of Velasco, which was held Friday night at Tehran?s Olympic Hotel.

Other Iranian sports officials present in the ceremony included Secretary General of the Iranian National Olympics Committee Shahrokh Shahnazi, Deputy Sports and Youth Minister Nasrollah Sajjadi, the Iranian Volleyball Federation officials and of course, Velasco?s students, the Iranian national volleyball team.

Before the ceremony Velasco had a thirty minute private talk with the members of the Iranian national team.

A poster designed for the ceremony showed Julio Velasco side by side with another internationally renowned Argentinean man, Ernesto Che Guevara, the revolutionary Argentinean-Cuban who fought side by side with the former Cuban leader Fiddle Castro for liberation of Cuba and Latin America decades ago.

Velasco will also have a press conference at 10 am Saturday in Iranian National Olympics Academy.

The Minister of Sports and Youth said in the ceremony that Julio Velasco?s cooperation as the head coach of the national volleyball team was a successful experience in this sports field, while in other fields the country is faced with troubles, and therefore, this experience can be used.

Goudarzi said that the Sports and Youth Ministry intends to use the capabilities of the Iranian coaches, but of course, in some sports fields where there are deficiencies and there is need to the presence of influential coaches, like Mr. Velasco, there is no objection to that.

He wished Velasco success in his new career and expressed hope that even from Argentina he would assist the head of the Iranian Volleyball Federation Mohammad Reza Davarzani in leading his former team.

Julio Velasco (born February 9, 1952 in La Plata, Argentina) is a professional volleyball coach from Argentina, who guided the Italian national men?s team to several successes in the 1990s.

After the 1996 Summer Olympics, where the Italians won silver, he switched to the Italian women?s team (1996–1997).

In 2011, Velasco was signed as the head coach of the Iran men?s national team. He will coach Argentina men?s national team after his contract expires with Iranian national team on 1 March 2014.

By IRNA

 

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