In volleyball, one player out of six on a team wears a jersey of a different color. Find out why.
Volleyball is a sport played six against six on a court that is eighteen meters long and nine meters wide. In this sport, which has been at the Olympic Games since 1964, there is a specific feature that is often noticed very quickly. Among the six players on a team, one wears a jersey of a different color. He is subject to very specific rules. His name is simple: the libero. If his jersey is a different color, it is to help the referees identify them quickly because they are very important.
First of all, these liberos can come and go as they please, unlike their teammates. Thus, their exit is not counted as a classic change. Consequently, this is a player who cannot serve or who cannot have the role of captain. This player is often the smallest of the team, he is lively and very reactive and he also has an above-average technique. He is generally at the reception of the opponent’s serve but is also very often called upon during an exchange. The libero is often the guarantor of a long exchange and often allows his team to be able to restart properly in order to transform a delicate defensive action into a formidable offensive.
On the court, a libero cannot go up. He is confined behind his back line and does not have the right to go forward and counter a ball for example. This role of libero was created for small players who had the technique to play but who lacked the size to be part of a professional team. It was in 1999 that the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) introduced this new role. On a match sheet, the coach can write the name of one or two liberos.
This summer, in Paris, the volleyball competition will be held from July 27 to August 11. It will take place at the Arena Paris sud 1. The teams of France are not the favorites for this Olympic tournament but the French men’s team can boast of having one of the best liberos in the world. With her jersey of a different color, Jenia Grebennikov will therefore be easy to spot as the Blues are launched in a quest to defend their title. Indeed, the Tricolores had achieved a monumental feat at Tokyo during the last Summer Olympics with the first Olympic title in their history.
On the other hand, for the women’s team the story is much less glorious since qualifying as host country will allow the Blues to discover the Olympic Games for the first time since 1974.