Exhibition match 1933 on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. Development of volleyball in Russia

Sofia Golovkina's dance reflected the era like no other.
Photo by Andrey Nikolsky (NG photo)

Sofya Nikolaevna Golovkina was one of the ballerinas of the “Stalinist draft”. She has performed on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater since 1933, danced the main roles in many classical performances and “realistic” drama ballets, and made an excellent career on and off stage.

Perhaps we have never had a ballet actress whose dance so literally reflected the era. Golovkina's contribution to the performing arts is a gallery of confident women with nerves of steel and strong legs. Her heroines are based on the average girl from the “advanced youth” of that time. Golovkina’s stage characters, airy or fabulously conventional depending on the circumstances of the plot, but always earthly in appearance and manner of dancing, closely connected the elite art of classical ballet with Soviet everyday life. The enchanted Odette, the courtly Raymonda or the businesslike Swanilda, performed by Golovkina, subtly resembled the energetic workers’ students and sportswomen, and her “fatal” Odile - the female commissar from “An Optimistic Tragedy”.

With the commissar's acumen, Golovkina managed the Moscow ballet school for forty years from 1960. Under her, the choreographic school received a new, specially built building, was transformed into the Academy of Choreography, and students of the academy began to receive higher education. The legend includes the director's ability to extract benefits for the school through her ability to get along with party and state leaders of all times, to teach their daughters and granddaughters prestigious classical dance. In the last years of her management, the Moscow Ballet Academy moved as far as possible from its previous status as a school at the Bolshoi Theater, because Sofya Nikolaevna, who got along well with Yuri Grigorovich, did not get along with his successors as head of the Bolshoi Theater ballet.

During perestroika, Golovkina's untouchability was shaken, and in the last years of her directorial career she was heavily criticized and accused of reducing the level of training of dancers at the Moscow Academy. But the criticism had no effect on the position of the all-powerful headmistress. At the end of Sofia Nikolaevna’s long reign (she allowed herself to be persuaded and, at the age of 85, agreed to the position of honorary rector), Golovkina held the reins of power as firmly as in her youth.

Iron autocracy is the key to her achievements and her failures. Under Golovkina, time seemed to stand still at the ballet school. But in her era, many talented classical dancers graduated from the school, and they still work today in many troupes in Russia and abroad. And when talking about the “Moscow Ballet” brand (in dance the main thing is not technique, but the soul wide open), ballet historians will always mention the name of Professor Golovkina.

The theater building was built in 1783-87 (the façade was completed in 1802) in St. Petersburg (architect G. Quarenghi) in the traditions of ancient architecture.
The Hermitage Theater played a significant role in the development of Russian theatrical and musical culture at the end of the 18th century. Balls and masquerades were held here, amateur performances were staged (by the court nobility), Italian, French (mostly comic) and Russian operas and dramatic performances were staged, and Russian, French, German, and Italian opera and ballet troupes performed.
It opened on November 22, 1785 (before completion of construction) with the comic opera by M. M. Sokolovsky “The Miller - the Sorcerer, the Deceiver and the Matchmaker.” The operas “The Barber of Seville, or a Vain Precaution” by Paisiello, “Richard the Lionheart” by Gretry and others were performed on the stage of the theater (composers D. Cimarosa, V. Martin i Solera, G. Sarti, V. A. Pashkevich created a number of operas especially for the Hermitage Theater). Dramatic performances were staged: “Nanina” and “Adelaide de Teclin” by Voltaire, “The Liar” by Corneille, “The Bourgeois in the Nobility” and “Tartuffe” by Moliere, “The School of Scandal” by Sheridan, “The Minor” by Fonvizin, etc.
Well-known dramatic actors performed - I. A. Dmitrevsky, J. Ofren, P. A. Plavilshchikov, S. N. Sandunov, T. M. Troepolskaya, Ya. D. Shumsky, A. S. Yakovlev, singers - K. Gabrielli, A. M. Krutitsky, V. M. Samoilov, E. S. Sandunova, L. R. Todi and dancers - L. A. Duport, C. Le Pic, G. Rossi and others. Scenery for the theater wrote P. Gonzaga.
In the 19th century, the Hermitage Theater gradually fell into disrepair, performances were staged irregularly. The building was restored several times (architects L. I. Charlemagne, D. I. Visconti, K. I. Rossi, A. I. Stackenschneider).
After a major renovation, which began in 1895 under the leadership of the court architect A.F. Krasovsky (who sought to return the theater to its “Quarengian appearance”), the Hermitage Theater opened on January 16, 1898 with the vaudeville “The Diplomat” by Scribe and Delavigne and a ballet suite to the music of L. Delibes.

In 1898-1909, the theater staged plays by A. S. Griboyedov, N. V. Gogol, A. N. Ostrovsky, I. S. Turgenev and others, the operas “Cupid’s Revenge” by A. S. Taneyev, “Mozart and Salieri "Rimsky-Korsakov, excerpts from the operas "Boris Godunov"; “Judith” by Serov, “Lohengrin”, “Romeo and Juliet”, “Faust”; “Mephistopheles” by Boito, “The Tales of Hoffmann” by Offenbach, “The Trojans in Carthage” by Berlioz, ballets “The Fairy Dolls” by Bayer, “The Seasons” by Glazunov, etc.
Many major performers took part in the performances: dramatic actors - K. A. Varlamov, V. N. Davydov, A. P. Lensky, E. K. Leshkovskaya, M. G. Savina, H. P. Sazonov, G. N. Fedotova, A. I. Yuzhin, Yu. M. Yuryev; singers - I. A. Alchevsky, A. Yu. Bolska, A. M. Davydov, M. I. Dolina, I. V. Ershov, M. D. Kamenskaya, A. M. Labinsky, F. V. Litvin, K. T. Serebryakov, M. A. Slavina, L. V. Sobinov, I. V. Tartakov, N. N. and M. I. Figner, F. I. Shalyapin; ballet dancers - M. F. Kshesinskaya, S. G. and N. G. Legat, A. P. Pavlova, O. I. Preobrazhenskaya, V. A. Trefilova and others. The scenery was designed by L. S. Bakst, A. Y. Golovin, K. A. Korovin and others.
After the October Revolution of 1917, the country's first Workers' University was opened in the Hermitage Theater. Lectures on the history of culture and art have been given here since the 1920s. In 1932-35, a music museum operated on the premises of the Hermitage Theater, where thematic concerts and exhibitions were held; Artists from Leningrad theaters and teachers from the Conservatory took part in them. Explanatory programs and brochures were published for the concerts. In 1933, excerpts from the tetralogy “The Ring of the Nibelung” by Wagner and the entire “The Maid and Mistress” by Pergolesi were staged on the stage of the Hermitage Theater. The performances were accompanied by lectures.
The Hermitage Theater operates a branch of the Central Lecture Hall. Periodically, musical performances are staged here (for example, in 1967, Monteverdi’s “Coronation of Poppea” was staged in concert by students of the conservatory and musical theaters), chamber concerts are organized for Hermitage staff, scientific conferences, sessions, and symposiums are held; In 1977, the congress of the International Council of Museums took place here.
A. P. Grigorieva
Musical Encyclopedia, ed. Yu. V. Keldysh, 1973-1982

Vladimir Urin (1947) - General Director of the Bolshoi Theater since July 2013. From 1995 to 2013, he was the general director of the Moscow Academic Musical Theater named after Stanislavsky and Nemirovich Danchenko. During this period, according to many experts, many times with a clear repertoire policy and its own bright stars - both in opera and ballet.

Anatoly Iksanov (1952) - General Director of the Bolshoi Theater in 2000-2013. In 1978-1998 he worked as chief administrator, deputy director, director of the Leningrad Bolshoi Drama Theater named after M. Gorky (now the Bolshoi Drama Theater named after G.A. Tovstonogov, BDT), and the TV channel "Culture".

Under Iksanov, the New Stage was opened and the reconstruction of the theater was completed. This period was also marked by a large number of scandals and incidents.

Vladimir Vasiliev (1940) - artistic director - director of the Bolshoi Theater in 1995-2000. Ballet dancer, choreographer, teacher, People's Artist of the USSR. In the ballet troupe of the Bolshoi Theater - since 1958, in 1958-1988 -.

Under him, a modern contract system was approved in the theater; the traditions of benefit performances were revived: corps de ballet, choir and orchestra; the theater’s own video studio and the production of a regular series of programs on the “Culture” TV channel were organized; a press service was created and the official page of the Bolshoi Theater on the Internet was opened; Publishing activities have been expanded.

Vladimir Kokonin (1938) - general director of the Bolshoi Theater in 1991-1995, from 1995 to 2000 - executive director. Honored Artist of the Russian Federation. He began working at the Bolshoi Theater in 1967 as an orchestra artist. He worked in the USSR Ministry of Culture and was deputy director of the All-Union Touring and Concert Association "State Concert of the USSR". From 1981 to 1986 he was deputy director for repertoire and a member of the artistic council of the Bolshoi Theater.

Under Kokonin, the status of the theater was approved as a particularly valuable state cultural object with direct subordination to the government of the Russian Federation.

Artistic directors of the opera

Makvala Kasrashvili (1942) has been managing the creative teams of the Bolshoi Theater opera troupe since 2000. People's Artist of the USSR, laureate of the State Prize of Russia. In 1966 she graduated from the Tbilisi State Conservatory (class of Vera Davydova). In the same year she made her debut at the Bolshoi Theater.

Vladimir Andropov (1946) - artistic director of the Bolshoi Theater opera troupe from 2000 to 2002. People's Artist of Russia. In 1978, he was hired by the Bolshoi Theater as conductor and artistic director of the stage orchestra. At the Bolshoi Theater he staged the opera "The Beautiful Miller's Wife" and the ballets "Insomnia", "The Queen of Spades" and "Passacaglia". Since 2009, he has been directing the National Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments of Russia named after N.P. Osipov.

Yuri Grigoriev (1939) - artistic director of the Bolshoi Theater opera from 1999 to 2000. People's Artist of Russia. In 1968-1990, soloist of the Bolshoi Theater of the USSR and the Kremlin Palace of Congresses. Since 1990, he has sung on the stages of opera houses in Russia and abroad. Since 1979 he has been teaching at the solo singing department of the Moscow Conservatory, and since 1996 he has been a professor.

Bela Rudenko (1933) - artistic director of the Bolshoi Theater opera troupe from 1995 to 1998. In 1973 she became a soloist of the Bolshoi Theater. Performed the roles of Lyudmila in Mikhail Glinka's opera "Ruslan and Lyudmila", Natasha Rostova ("War and Peace"), Yolan ("Milan"), Rosina "The Barber of Seville"), Violetta "La Traviata"), Lucia "Lucia de Lammermoor") and many others. She performed on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater until 1988.

Alexander Lazarev (1945) - artistic director of the opera and chief conductor of the Bolshoi Theater from 1987 to 1995. Opera and symphony conductor, teacher, People's Artist of Russia. He taught at the department of opera and symphony conducting of the orchestral faculty of the Moscow Conservatory. He acts as a guest conductor with the world's leading symphony orchestras and opera groups.

Artistic directors of the ballet troupe

Galina Stepanenko (1966) - acting artistic director of the ballet troupe since January 2013. With the Bolshoi Theater ballet troupe since 1990. Since December 2012 - teacher-tutor

Sergei Filin (1970) - artistic director of the Bolshoi Theater ballet troupe since 2011. People's Artist of Russia. In 1988-2008 he worked as a ballet soloist in the Bolshoi Theater troupe. In 2008-2011 he was the director of the ballet troupe of the Moscow Academic Musical Theater. K.S. Stanislavsky and Vl.I. Nemirovich Danchenko.

Yuri Burlaka (1968) - artistic director of the Bolshoi Theater ballet troupe in 2009-2011. . He has collaborated with the Bolshoi Theater since 2008. In 1986-2006 he was the leading soloist of the Moscow State Regional Theater "Russian Ballet" under the direction of Vyacheslav Gordeev. Since 2006 he has been a teacher and tutor, and since April 2007 he has worked as artistic director of the Russian Ballet Theater.

Alexey Ratmansky - artistic director of the Bolshoi Theater ballet troupe in 2004-2009. Honored Artist of Ukraine. In 1986-1992 and in 1995-1997 he was a soloist of the ballet troupe of the Kyiv Opera and Ballet Theater (National Opera of Ukraine) named after T. G. Shevchenko. In 1992-1995 he worked at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in Canada. In 1997 he was accepted into the Royal Danish Ballet, where he performed leading roles. Since 2009 - (American Ballet Theatre).

Boris Akimov (1946) - artistic director of the Bolshoi Theater ballet troupe in 2000-2003. People's Artist of the USSR. With the Bolshoi Theater ballet troupe since 1965. Since 1989 - teacher and choreographer of the Bolshoi Theater. In 2001-2005 he was a professor at the Moscow State Academy of Choreography. Since 2013, he has been chairman of the artistic council of the Bolshoi Theater ballet troupe.

Alexey Fadeechev (1960) - artistic director of the ballet of the State Academic Bolshoi Theater in 1998-2000. People's Artist of Russia. Since 1978 he has been a soloist of the Bolshoi Theater ballet. In 2001 he organized the private dance theater of Alexei Fadeechev.

Alexander Bogatyrev (1949 1998) - acting artistic director of the ballet troupe in 1997-1998. People's Artist of the RSFSR. Since 1969 he has been a soloist of the Bolshoi Theater ballet troupe. In 1995-1997 he held the position of manager of the Bolshoi Theater ballet troupe.

Vyacheslav Gordeev (1948) - led the ballet troupe of the Bolshoi Theater in 1995-1997. People's Artist of the USSR. In 1968-1989 he danced as part of the Bolshoi Theater troupe. Since 1998 - professor at the Russian Academy of Slavic Culture. Artistic director of the Moscow Regional State Theater "Russian Ballet".

Yuri Grigorovich (1927) - artistic director of the ballet troupe in 1988-1995. Choreographer and choreographer, teacher, People's Artist of the USSR. Since 1964, he served as chief choreographer of the Bolshoi Theater. Since 2008 - choreographer of the Bolshoi Theater ballet troupe. Since 1988, he has been the head of the choreography department at the Moscow State Academy of Choreography.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

Balanchine's Paris, Moscow and New York "Jewels"

Green! Red! White! A truly spectacular spectacle was Balanchine's "Jewels," with its international cast (a Lincoln Center Festival production that opened on Tuesday night). On the stage of the theater. David Koch, where “Jewels” first saw the stage light fifty years ago (then the theater was called the New York State Theatre), an ensemble of dancers from the Paris Opera (“Emeralds”) and the New York City Ballet (“Emeralds”) performed in three brilliant parts of the ballet. Rubies") and the Bolshoi Ballet ("Diamonds").

The individual colors of the jewels met each other on stage to form a sort of tricolor flag. Most closely associated with Balanchine (1904 - 1983), these three companies represent the three countries most significant in his career. He learned to dance and stage ballets in Russia, where he lived until 1924; He reached early creative maturity in France, in particular working under the auspices of Diaghilev’s Russian Ballet; and in New York, together with Lincoln Kirstein, he founded the School of American Ballet in 1933 and the City Ballet in 1948.

“Emeralds” to Fauré’s music has always been considered “French”. “Rubies” to the music of Stravinsky is the quintessence of New York - its speed, “density” and jazzy modernity characterize this city rather than the nation itself. And “Diamonds,” set to music by Tchaikovsky, first conjures up Russia’s vast rural landscapes and, at the end, majestic imperial cities. In fact, it is more common and preferable to watch one troupe demonstrate the variety of capabilities required to dance all three parts. This is what all troupes from Russian St. Petersburg to Seattle are currently doing. But celebratory holidays in honor of anniversaries deserve to be served with a special “treat”.

It will be possible to reflect on how clearly the individual merits of each troupe are manifested in "Jewels" until Sunday inclusive, with the Bolshoi and New York City Ballet changing places in "Rubies" and "Diamonds", and the Parisians and the Bolshoi in addition to this change their compositions. On Tuesday, with a spectacular performance as the prima ballerina in Diamonds, Bolshoi soloist Olga Smirnova showed exactly the level that should be at festivals, while the three leading soloists in Rubies, exhibited by the City Ballet - Megan Fairchild, Joaquin de Luce, Teresa Raichlen - demonstrated an example of exemplary execution of what the “home” team does best.

It is easy to see how the style of the Bolshoi and the style of the City Ballet overlap: the length of the “phrases”, luxurious texture, amazing power, cold-blooded placement of accents with a shifted balance. The Parisian style, extremely elegant, turned out to be not very Balanchine, which is primarily felt by women with their sharp manner of “pronouncing” the text and anti-musical dynamics of movements (playful freezing at transitional moments, “missing” through important linear constructions). The Emeralds, although Gallic, are not at all associated with Paris, seeming to come from the Fontainebleau-like forest edges, despite the fact that the performers show the gloss of a big city.

Ms. Smirnova, still young, first danced “Diamonds” in 2012, at the very beginning of her career. The exquisite arches that form her raised arms, the grace with which she holds and turns her head, the bold, well-defined movements of her arched feet - all make a stunning impression. She carries out her role amazingly - from chivalrous romanticism imbued with mystery to the dazzling triumph of the classics. Her partner, Semyon Chudin, gained much more confidence compared to his performances three years ago, during the last New York tour of the Bolshoi.

Ms. Raichlen’s brilliant, mischievous, masterful performance of the soloist’s role in “Rubies” has long seemed definitively established. Mr. de Luce's delightfully self-confident dancing style is very effective. The surprise was Ms. Fairchild. As has happened at other recent performances, suddenly her individuality was revealed and blossomed in all its fullness and freedom: she showed herself to be a mature, decisive, attractively strong, genuinely witty dancer.

No one worked harder than Balanchine to transform plotless, “pure” dance into an exciting theatrical performance. He was, as is clearly visible in some of his works, also the greatest ballet playwright: there is no contradiction here, for drama permeates his plotless opuses. “Jewels,” which is often called the first full-length abstract ballet, is much more rewarding when it is seen as a collection of diverse stories, situations, and worlds. The three parts of this ballet, although different from each other, are interconnected. In each, the dancers continually move from a forward-leaning position—with their arms clasped together and protruding forward, like a unicorn's horn—to a wide, open, backward-bending movement. And in each there is a pas de deux, in which the ballerina resembles some kind of magical unbridled “beast”, which the partner keeps at a respectful distance from herself.

European troupes, although they respect the original color scheme and “jewelry” accent, brought their own costumes - Christian Lacroix (for “Emeralds”) and Elena Zaitseva (for “Diamonds”). As long as City Ballet retains the original costumes created by Karinskaya, the local public will likely be prejudiced against alternative options. (Lacroix's haute couture blue cyan looks particularly inappropriate).

However, guests are likely to look with similar hostility at the City Ballet's three sets (created by Peter Harvey in 2004, they are more crudely accented than his original 1967 ones, which look so great at St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theater). I suspect that a more detailed study will reveal that the Paris Opera and the Bolshoi Ballet perform “Emeralds” and “Diamonds” with some discrepancies with the text that is now accepted in the City Ballet.

“Jewels” has long been an excellent “introduction” to the poetry of ballet, but only in our century did it enter – and very quickly – into the international ballet repertoire. On Tuesday, as the final bows reached their climax, the artists of the three companies were joined on stage by their artistic directors - Aurelie Dupont (Paris Opera), Peter Martins (City Ballet) and Mahar Vaziev (Bolshoi): a real “cordial agreement” concluded right on our eyes.

Alastair Macaulay
New York Times, 07/21/2017

Translation by Natalia Shadrina

Current state

Since 2006, the FIVB has united 220 national volleyball federations, making volleyball one of the most popular sports on Earth. In August 2008, Chinese Wei Jizhong was elected as the new president of the FIVB.

Volleyball is the most developed sport in countries such as Russia, Brazil, China, Italy, USA, Japan, and Poland. The current world champion among men is the Brazilian national team (2006), among women - the Russian national team (2006).

Development of volleyball in Russia

As the publication “All About Sports” (1978) notes, volleyball was born overseas, but at first it was a stepson on the American continent. “Our country became his true homeland. It was in the Soviet Union that volleyball acquired its remarkable qualities. He became athletic, fast, agile, as we know him today.”

Pre-war volleyball in the USSR was jokingly called “the game of actors.” After all, in Moscow, the first volleyball courts appeared in the courtyards of the Meyerhold, Kamerny, Revolution, Vakhtangov theaters. On July 28, 1923, the first official match took place on Myasnitskaya Street, in which the teams of the Higher Art Theater Workshops (VKHUTEMAS) and the State School of Cinematography (GShK) met. From this meeting the chronology of our volleyball begins. The pioneers of the new sport were masters of art, future People's Artists of the USSR Nikolai Bogolyubov, Boris Shchukin, Anatoly Ktorov and Rina Zelenaya, future famous artists Georgy Nissky and Yakov Romas. The level of skill of the actors at that time was not inferior to the sports one - the club "Rabis" (trade union of arts workers) beat the team of the sports society "Dynamo" (Moscow).

In January 1925, the Moscow Council of Physical Education developed and approved the first official rules for volleyball competitions. According to these rules, Moscow championships have been regularly held since 1927. An important event in the development of volleyball in our country was the championship played during the first All-Union Spartakiad in 1928 in Moscow. It was attended by men's and women's teams from Moscow, Ukraine, the North Caucasus, Transcaucasia, and the Far East. In the same year, a permanent panel of judges was created in Moscow.

For the development of volleyball, mass competitions held at the sites of cultural and recreation parks in many cities of the USSR were of great importance. These games also became a good school for foreign guests - in the early 30s, competition rules were published in Germany under the name “Volleyball - a Russian folk game.”

In the spring of 1932, a volleyball section was created under the All-Union Council of Physical Culture of the USSR. In 1933, during a session of the Central Executive Committee, an exhibition match was played between the teams of Moscow and Dnepropetrovsk on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater in front of the leaders of the ruling party and government of the USSR. And a year later, the championships of the Soviet Union were regularly held, officially called the “All-Union Volleyball Festival.” Having become the leaders of domestic volleyball, Moscow athletes were honored to represent it on the international stage, when Afghan athletes were guests and rivals in 1935. Despite the fact that the games were played according to Asian rules, the Soviet volleyball players won a convincing victory - 2:0 (22:1, 22:2).

During the Great Patriotic War, volleyball continued to be cultivated in military units. Already in 1943, volleyball courts in the rear began to come to life. Since 1945, the USSR championships have been resumed, and volleyball in our country has become one of the most popular sports. The number of people involved in volleyball was estimated at 5-6 million (and according to some sources, several times more). As the legendary coach Vyacheslav Platonov notes in his book “The Equation with Six Famous”, “those days, those years are unimaginable without volleyball. The ball flying through a net stretched between two pillars (trees, racks) had a magical effect on teenagers, on boys and girls, on brave warriors returning from the battlefields, on those who were drawn to each other. And then everyone was drawn to each other.” Volleyball was played in courtyards, parks, stadiums, on beaches... Together with amateurs, recognized masters - Anatoly Chinilin, Anatoly Eingorn, Vladimir Ulyanov - did not hesitate to go to the net. Thanks to such mass participation, schoolchildren who picked up a ball for the first time quickly grew into real stars of Soviet and world volleyball.

Competitions for the USSR championship were held exclusively in open areas, most often after football matches next to the stadiums, and the largest competitions, such as the 1952 World Cup, were held in the same stadiums with crowded stands.

In 1947, Soviet volleyball players entered the international arena. At the first World Youth Festival in Prague, a volleyball tournament was held, in which the Leningrad team participated, reinforced, as was customary then, by Muscovites. The team was led by legendary coaches Alexey Baryshnikov and Anatoly Chinilin. Our athletes won 5 matches with a score of 2:0, and only the last 2:1 (13:15, 15:10, 15:7) against the hosts, the Czechoslovakian national team. The first “women’s” trip took place in 1948 - the capital’s team “Lokomotiv” went to Poland, supplemented by colleagues from the Moscow “Dynamo” and “Spartak” and the Leningrad Spartak team. In the same 1948, the All-Union Volleyball Section became members of the International Volleyball Federation (and not American, but our rules of the game formed the basis of international ones), and in 1949, our players took part in official international competitions for the first time. The debut turned out to be “golden” - the USSR women's team won the title of European champions, and the men's team won the World Championship. In 1959, the USSR Volleyball Federation was formed.

Our men's team also became the first Olympic champion in Tokyo 1964. She won both the Olympics in Mexico City (1968) and Moscow (1980). And the women's team won the title of Olympic champion four times (1968, 1972, 1980 and 1988).

Soviet volleyball players are 6-time world champions, 12-time European champions, 4-time World Cup winners. The USSR women's team won the World Championships 5 times, European Championships 13 times, and the World Cup 1 time.

The All-Russian Volleyball Federation (VFV) was founded in 1991. The president of the federation is Nikolai Patrushev. The Russian men's team is the winner of the 1999 World Cup and the 2002 World League. The women's team won the 2006 World Championships, European Championships (1993, 1997, 1999, 2001), Grand Prix (1997, 1999, 2002), and the 1997 World Champions Cup.

Under the auspices of the FIVB

The Olympic Games are held every 4 years. The World Championship is also held every 4 years. The World Champions Cup is held every 4 years. The World League is held once a year. The Grand Prize is held once a year. Under the auspices of the CEV, the European Championship is held every 2 years.