The Boris Yeltsin Volleyball Cup is an annual international women's volleyball tournament. It is named after the first president of Russia,

Boris Yeltsin Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin ( rus, Борис Николаевич Ельцин, p=bɐˈrʲis nʲɪkɐˈla(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈjelʲtsɨn, a=Ru-Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin.ogg; 1 February 1931 – 23 April 2007) was a Soviet and Russian politician wh ...

. Since 2008, the tournament has been held in

Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg ( ; rus, Екатеринбург, p=jɪkətʲɪrʲɪnˈburk), alternatively romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( rus, Свердло́вск, , svʲɪrˈdlofsk, 1924–1991), is a city and the administra ...

, Russia.

Medalists

History

In the summer of 2002,

Nikolay Karpol Nikolay Vasilyevich Karpol (russian: Николай Васильевич Карполь; 1 May 1938) is a Soviet and Russian women's volleyball coach. Known as ''The Howling Bear'', Karpol was a regular at the Olympic Games, with his teams usuall ...

(the head coach of the Russian women's national volleyball team and Uralochka) met with

to discuss a new international volleyball competition. Yeltsin agreed for the tournament to be named after him; at the same time Karpol's initiative was strongly supported by the governor of

Sverdlovsk Oblast Sverdlovsk Oblast ( rus, Свердловская область, Sverdlovskaya oblast) is a federal subject (an oblast) of Russia located in the Ural Federal District. Its administrative center is the city of Yekaterinburg, formerly known as S ...

Eduard Rossel Eduard Ergartovich Rossel (russian: Эдуард Эргартович Россель; born 8 October 1937) is a Russian politician, who was the governor (1995–2009) of Sverdlovsk Oblast, an oblast in Russia. He returned into office in 1995. ...

. The winners would receive a trophy made by stonecutters from the

Ural Mountains The Ural Mountains ( ; rus, Ура́льские го́ры, r=Uralskiye gory, p=ʊˈralʲskʲɪjə ˈɡorɨ; ba, Урал тауҙары) or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western ...

2003

The first tournament of the Yeltsin Cup, which featured 8 national teams, was scheduled to match the opening of two large arenas in central Ural — the Palace of Sporting Games "Uralochka" in

and the sports and health complex Metallurg-Forum in

Nizhny Tagil Nizhny Tagil ( rus, Нижний Тагил, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj tɐˈgʲil) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, located east of the boundary between Asia and Europe. Population: History The prehistor ...

. The first winner of the Yeltsin Cup was the Russian national team with no losses. ''Finals:'' Russia vs China 3:1 (25:16, 25:23, 27:29, 26:24) ''Third place play-off:'' Azerbaijan vs USA 3:2 (22:25, 28:26, 25:22, 18:25, 15:11)

2004

The 2004 tournament was held in April, instead of June, due to national teams preparing for the Olympic Games in Athens. Russia defeated Cuba in the finals. ''Finals:'' Russia vs. Cuba — 3:0 (25:19, 25:21, 25:23) ''Third place play-off'': Azerbaijan vs. Dominican Republic — 3:2 (23:25, 25:21, 20:25, 25:18, 15:6)

2005

The 2005 tournament differed from the previous two tournaments: the number of teams was reduced to six and the competition's format changed to a single-round tournament with no play-offs. At the end of the last match, where the Russian national team, led by new coach Giovanni Caprara, lost to Team Azerbaijan in five plays, the tournament winner was not immediately determined. Spectators had to wait for the results of the points calculations in all matches played by the Russian and Netherlands national teams, which at the end of the round had tied in both win-lose ratio (4:1) and plays ratio (14:6). Scoring determined that the Russians won with 0.026. Turkey won against Azerbaijan for third place, which was also determined by a better plays ratio.

2006

The Russian and Chinese teams were the final teams of the fourth Yeltsin Cup tournament. The Chinese team won in five plays. Yeltsin participated in the award ceremony for the last time. ''Finals:'' China vs. Russia — 3:2 (25:22, 14:25, 25:20, 18:25, 15:9) ''Third place play-off:'' Netherlands vs. Turkey — 3:0 (25:17, 25:21, 26:24)

2007

The 2007 tournament was the first to be unattended by Yeltsin following his death on 23 April. It is also the first tournament to be included in the official FIVB schedule. The Chinese national team won against the Dutch in the finals. For the first time in the Yeltsin Cup tournament, the Russian team participated as the reigning world champion, even though some of their key players were not participating. It was also the first time that players of any local club were not among the national team players. Uralochka trainee Olga Fateeva was among the top three players of the tournament (the first being the captain of the Turkish national team Neslihan Darnel) and was recognized as the tournament's

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

). ''Finals'': China vs the Netherlands — 3:1 (25:21, 22:25, 25:18, 37:35) ''Third place play-off'': Russia vs Turkey — 3:1 (19:25, 25:23, 25:23, 25:20)

2008

The tournament, like 2005, was a single-round tournament with no play-offs. The Russians won first place one round before the end of the competition. National team captain Marina Sheshenina and volleyball player

Yekaterina Gamova Yekaterina Aleksandrovna Gamova (russian: Екатерина Александровна Гамова; born 17 October 1980) is a retired Russian volleyball player. She was a member of the Russian national team that won the gold medals at the 20 ...

became four-time winners of the First President of Russia Cup.

2009

Russia won the 2009 Yeltsin Cup. Ural native Marina Sheshenina, who participated in all five victorious tournaments of the Russian National Team, was awarded the "Miss Tournament" prize, while Japanese passer

Yoshie Takeshita Yoshie Takeshita (竹下佳江 ''Takeshita Yoshie'', born March 18, 1978) was a Japanese volleyball player who played for JT Marvelous. She served as Head Coach of Japanese volleyball team Victorina Himeji. and now serves as Executive Adviser. ...

was awarded with the "For loyalty to Volleyball" prize. ''Finals:'' Russia vs. Japan — 3:2 (20:25, 25:20, 25:18, 20:25, 16:14) ''Third place play-off:'' Netherlands vs. Cuba — 3:0 (25:17, 25:23, 25:21)

2010

Six teams participated in the 2010 tournament, of which Russia won first place. Chinese middle blocker Xue Ming was awarded the Yeltsin Cup MVP prize, Dutch Manon Flier received the "Miss Tournament" award, and the Russian team passer

Yevgeniya Startseva Yevgeniya Aleksandrovna Startseva (russian: Евге́ния Алекса́ндровна Ста́рцева; born 12 February 1989) is a volleyball player from Russia. She was a member of the national team that won the gold medal at the 2010 Wor ...

was called the best young player. ''Finals'': Russia vs. China — 3:0 (30:28, 25:16, 25:17) ''Third place play-off'': Netherlands vs. Italy — 3:0 (25:23, 25:19, 25:23)

2011

Gamova, Lyubov Sokolova, Ekaterina Kabeshova, and Svetlana Kryuchkova were not on the roster of Russia's team. In the semifinals, Russia lost to first-timer

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

with a score of 2:3. China won first place, while Russia won third place against

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

. ''Finals:'' China vs. Brazil — 3:2 (37:35, 19:25, 25:27, 25:23, 15:10) ''Third place playoff:'' Russia vs. Poland — 3:2 (22:25, 25:22, 25:22, 22:25, 16:14)

2012

The 2012 tournament was a round-robin among five teams. Russia scored 3:0 (25:23, 25:18, 25:22) against Italy and became won the Cup for the seventh time. Individual prizes included: * MVP —

* Miss Tournament — Nataliya Obmochaeva * Best young player —

2013

In 2013, most of the participating teams significantly changed their rosters. In the final match, Russia won against Italy. Paolo Tofoli led the play of "Squadra Azzurra" in Yekaterinburg instead of head coach Marco Mercanelli, who stayed at the

Apennines The Apennines or Apennine Mountains (; grc-gre, links=no, Ἀπέννινα ὄρη or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; la, Appenninus or – a singular with plural meaning;''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which wou ...

. His playmaker Indre Sorocaite became the tournament's MVP. The victory parade included members of the USSR national team, who won a gold medal in the

1988 Seoul Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

. ''Finals'': Russia vs. Italy — 3:1 (22:25, 25:21, 25:14, 25:18) ''Third place playoff'': Dominican Republic vs. Cuba — 3:1 (25:16, 25:27, 25:22, 25:22)

2014

In 2014 the Bulgarian team won. Russia lost its key players that year — Nataliya Obmochaeva,

Tatiana Kosheleva Tatiana Sergeyevna Kosheleva (''russian: Татья́на Серге́евна Ко́шелева'', born 23 December 1988) is a Russian volleyball player. She was a member of the Russia women's national volleyball team that won the gold medal a ...

, Iuliia Morozova, Anastasia Shlyakhovaya. After winning against

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

and the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

, they made it to the semi-finals due to the Dutch victory over the Dominicans in the final day of the group stage. Both semifinal matches resulted in 3:2 — Russia beat

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, while Bulgaria won against the Dutch. MVP was awarded to Netherlands National Team playmaker Judith Pietersen. Fans actively participated in a charity lottery called "My vmeste" (We are together) and collected 91,450 rubles over the competition's five days. ''Finals'': Bulgaria vs. Russia — 3:2 (16:25, 25:20, 28:30, 25:23, 15:11) ''Third place play-off'': Netherlands vs. Japan — 3:0 (25:22, 25:14, 25:17).

2015

The tournament was contested by five teams in a round robin.

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

and

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

National Teams became the new contestants in the Yeltsin Cup. Russia National Team became the victor of the tournament with no play lost. Russian team opposite Nataliya Obmochaeva was awarded MVP, Moran Zur (Israel) — the best playmaker, Yekaterina Zhdanova — the best blocker,

Anna Malova Anna Malova ( Russian: Анна Малова) is a Russian model who was appointed as "Miss Russia" in the Miss Universe pageant 1998. Biography As a child, Anna was engaged in artistic gymnastics. She finished school in Yaroslavl. After hig ...

(Russia) — the best libero, Gung Xianiu (China) — the best server, Pavla Winkourowa (Czech Republic) — the best setter, Ksenia Alexandrovna Ilchenko — the best young player of Russia national Team,

Aleksandra Pasynkova Aleksandra Arkadyevna Pasynkova (russian: Алекса́ндра Арка́дьевна Па́сынкова; born April 14, 1987) is a volleyball player from Russia. She plays for Uralochka-NTMK (since 2002). Clubs * Dinamo-Yantar Kal ...

got "Miss Tournament" award.

2016

In 2016 the tournament was delayed to September and dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Uralochka-NTMK volleyball club. Due to the demands of the sports schedule in the Olympic season, an alternative team roster applied to participate in the Yeltsin Cup. Uralochka, with two Kazan Dynamo volleyball players (

Irina Zaryazhko Irina Vladimirovna Koroleva (née Zaryazhko) (russian: Ирина Владимировна Королева (Заряжко), born 4 October 1991) is a Russian volleyball player, who plays as a middle blocker. She is a member of the Women's Nati ...

and Daria Stolyarova) and led by

and Rishat Giliazutdinov, represented the Russia national team. Switzerland, represented by the Volero team (

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

) under Zoran Terzić's leadership, won the tournament. Volero playmaker Dobriana Rabajiyeva was recognized as the MVP of the 14th Yeltsin Cup.

2017

Five teams participated in the 15th Yeltsin Cup play-off.

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

and

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

faced off in the finals before the latter won in five plays. Individual awards went to Russians

(best passer), Irina Koroleva (best blocker),

Anna Lazareva Anna Nikolayevna Lazareva (russian: Анна Николаевна Лазарева; born 31 January 1997) is a Russian professional volleyball player for Fenerbahçe and the Russian National Team. Career Lazareva, who started playing volleyba ...

(best young player); Radmila Beresneva from Kazakhstan (best server); Turkish Simge Şebnem Aköz (best libero); Bulgarian

Elitsa Vasileva Elitsa Vasileva (Bulgarian Cyrillic: Елица Василева; born 13 May 1990 in Dupnitsa) is an international volleyball player from Bulgaria. Career She has represented CSKA Sofia and also played in the Italian, Brazilian, South Korean, ...

("Miss Tournament"); and Serbians Bojana Živković (best passer) and

Brankica Mihajlović Brankica Mihajlović ( sr-cyrl, Бранкица Михајловић; born 13 April 1991) is a Serbian professional volleyball player. She plays for the Serbia women's national volleyball team where she won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Oly ...

(MVP).

2018

The 2018 Yeltsin Cup 2018 was part of the

2018 FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League The 2018 FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League was the inaugural edition of the FIVB Volleyball Women's Nations League, a new annual international women's volleyball tournament contested by 16 national teams that replaced the former World Grand ...

, and consisted of

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, and

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. The Netherlands won 3:0 against Russia in the finals.

Participants

References

Links

Official website
{{Boris Yeltsin International volleyball competitions hosted by Russia Recurring events established in 2003 Boris Yeltsin