VOLLEYBALL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
(WOMEN & MEN), JAPAN 1998

15 Japan cities were the venues of the 13^th Women’s and the 14^th Men’s Volleyball World Championships. While the ladies started their competition on Nov 3^rd, 1998, the men’s teams went into action a little later.
During the last 24 years, when the Championships were held in Mexico City in 1974 (winners: women: Japan, men: Poland), men and women haven’t been competing for the World Championship in the same country. And for the first time in history the 24 men’s teams (divided into 6 preliminary groups) competed in Japan, whereas the women already had had one Championship in 1967 in this country (winner: Japan). A total of 60 national teams (masculine) and 50 countries (feminine) had entered the qualification groups worldwide to participate in the 1998 Championships.
CUBA, who already had won the previous tournament (1994 in Brazil) as well as the last two Olympic Games (1992 in Barcelona and 1996 in Atlanta) crowned itself again as Champion, when the Cuban girls defeated CHINA (PR) in the final game with a 3 : 0 (15 : 4, 16 : 14, 15 : 12) victory.
RUSSIA took Bronze winning 3 : 1 (13 : 15, 15 : 6, 15 : 11, 15 : 13) against BRAZIL.

The cities of Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kobe, Sendai, Kawasaki and Uozo were the venues for the men’s preliminary groups. The semi finales between Cuba and Yugoslavia as well as Brazil and Italy were held at the Metropolitan Gymnasium and the National Yoyogi Stadium in Tokyo.
ITALY became the first country to win three World titles in a row, defeating YUGOSLAVIA 3 : 0 (15 : 12, 15 : 5, 15 : 10) in the final game. The Italians had already won in 1990 (Rio de Janeiro) and in 1994 (Athens). CUBA took the Bronze medal, winning 3 : 1 (12 : 15, 15 : 6, 15 : 11, 15 : 12) against BRAZIL.
Further ranking: 5. Russia, 6. Holland, 7. Bulgaria, 8. Spain, 9. Ucraine, 10. U.S.A., 11. Argentina.

The Japan Post Ministry issued a beautiful and interesting series of four stamps, showing the basic skills of Volleyball: the serve, the reception, the attack and the block.

Japan 008 a	Japan 009 a	Japan 010 a	Japan 011 a
Japan 008 - 011 c		Japan 008 - 011 d (Mihon)

Japanese First Day Cover of Nov 2nd, 1998	Conmemorative cancel from Italy celebrating the third win of the World Championships in a row (Feb 8th, 1999)	Japanese hand cancel, used at regular post offices from Nov 2nd to Nov 8, 1998.	Japanese machine stamping, used at the Central Post Offices of the cities of Sapporo, Sendai, Yokohama, Tokyo, Nagano, Nagoya, Osaka, Okayama and Fukuoko on Nov 2nd, 1998 only.