Ghana ranked 46 by FIVB

Ghana has been ranked 46th in the ''Federation International De Volleyball'' (FIVB) men's division with 2.00 points while the women have not been ranked.

Disclosing this to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, Mr Andrew Ocloo, General Secretary of the Ghana Volleyball Association said, the country has moved a step forward compared to their position last year when they were ranked 47th. Mr Ocloo said events taken into consideration in the ranking include Olympic Games, Senior and Junior continental, World and Grand Prix championships.

He said Italy still ranked number one with 259.50 points while Brazil lost the second position to Russia and slipped to the fourth place while Cuba maintained its fourth position with the USA fifth followed by Netherlands, Spain, Argentina and Korea in that order.

Mr Ocloo said for the first time, the Black Spikers, the national volleyball team might have the chance of participating in the 2002 championship in Argentina when they are able to go through the qualifying series slated in Algiers in September, next year. Ghana was seeded along side countries like Algeria and Tunisia while the women's team was seeded along side Egypt, Nigeria and Morocco. They would also be playing in Cairo in September with the championship coming on in Brazil, 2002.