(ATR) It was the fairy tale finish Brazil had hoped and prayed for - gold in the men’s volleyball.
The host nation defeated Italy in straight sets, closing out the Olympic volleyball competition, one of the greatest success stories of the Games.
Held at the sport’s spiritual home, Maracanãzinho, the atmosphere throughout the competition was electric, with passionate fans filling the arena to its 10,000 seat capacity.
Maracanãzinho literally meaning ‘little Maracanã’, sits next door to the famous stadium in Rio’s city center. It was renovated for the 2007 Pan American Games, with some further enhancements made for the Olympics and was a spectacular Games venue.
The entertainment which at other venues has sometimes missed the mark, was the perfect fit at Maracanãzinho. Music filled every gap in play and the most spectacular moments came when the lights went down. Projections danced on the ceiling and lights from mobile phones in the crowd made spectacular waves.
FIVB President Dr. Ary Graça remarked on the federation’s website that he was not surprised at the event’s overwhelming success.
"Volleyball is the number one sport in Brazil and the passion and enthusiasm for the sport has been on display every day at the Maracanãzinho helping to create the most spectacular competition," he said.
"At the FIVB we are committed to creating fans instead of spectators and this is exactly what we are achieving at the Maracanãzinho: we have spectators arriving for the event and inspired fans leaving."
The men’s final was the perfect conclusion for the competition, with Brazil meeting Italy who had beaten them in the early round matches, silencing the otherwise boisterous Brazilian fans.
But Brazil won when it counted most, bettering their silver from the last two Olympics and becoming just the third nation to have won three volleyball gold medals.
The party will continue through the night next door at Maracanã with the Closing Ceremony bringing the Games to an end.
Written by Alice WheeleratMaracanãzinho
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