Cristobal Marte, the man credited with the high world ranking of the Dominican volleyball team and the country’s successful participation in the Athens Olympics, announced plans to prepare the team for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. He announced the hiring from Cuba of head coach Francisco (Panchy) Cruz Jimenez and assistant Ismael Ortega Hernandez and of Miko Fujimoto from Japan. Former Cuban coach Jorge Garbey returned to Cuba to work with Cuban teams. Marte announced that they have a work plan through 2008. Cruz Jimenez was hired for his work at qualifying the Cuban youth team to the world games. Niko Fujimoto has worked with the Japanese volleyball team.
He announced the visit of the women’s volleyball team of Tainjin from China that will match Dominicans in a training games and a tournament scheduled for 10 March to 6 April at the volleyball pavilion of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center. Training games begin 10 March and the first tournament match will take place on Monday, 14 March at 7 pm.
The Dominican Republic will host the Fourth Panamerican Volleyball Cup from 10-18 June 2005. The DR team is also scheduled to participate in the women’s volleyball league tournament, scheduled for 22 May-4 June, the World Grand Prix in Italy, Hong Kong, China, Korea and Japan, from 21 June to 17 July. Other tournaments are the World Youth Volleyball Tournament, set for Turkey from 23 to 31 July.