Erbil, Iraq, January 18, 2010 -- The FIVB, in collaboration with the Iraqi Volleyball Federation (IVF), launched a Volleyball Cooperation Programme coaches course for Iraqi Volleyball coaches in Erbil, Kurdistan on Monday.

The course was opened by Erbil governor Nawzad Hadi in Erbil city Public Library and will be attended by 43 coaches from Iraq, including three female coaches.

IVF Secretary Muayyad Maghdid said that the goal of the course was to enhance the level of Volleyball in Iraq, and added that the FIVB was very helpful in promoting the sport in Iraq.

"The FIVB Development policy is in place to help improve the general standard of Volleyball throughout the world," said Helgi Thorsteinsson, FIVB Technical and Development Director. "More specifically, it is there to create the conditions where each country, given its resources, is able to express its potential in competition and derive the maximum benefit possible from sport. This we do in various parts of the world and our motto is that the sport will prosper where there is a will to develop it. That´s what is exactly happening in Iraq with the Volleyball Cooperation Programme."

International lecturers from Egypt and Bahrain will be teaching on the course in an effort to increase the coaches' knowledge of Volleyball.

The Iraq Volleyball team will be hoping to emulate Iran who have steadily improved over the last decade, culminating in a gold medal at the 2008 Asian Men's Cup Volleyball Championship.