VolleyBar SPECIAL : Sunday August 23, 2026

On this day..
Amarcord, International Hashtag Day, Jastrzębie Barkom, Morocco, Gambia Police Force, Maldives, World Championship U17 and friendlies.

Welcome to VolleyBar’s Sunday Special, the first-ever daily column to bring together all the main volleyball news and stories of the day.
And beware of imitations: our Italian “friends” have already copied us in every way imaginable, after making quite a name for themselves with daily articles written in questionable English and word-for-word translations of our pieces without crediting the original source.

August 23 has produced some memorable moments and birthdays in volleyball history, from Olympic triumphs to the birth of players who would go on to become part of the sport’s greatest generations.

On August 23, 2008, Brazil made history in Beijing by winning its first-ever Olympic gold medal in women’s indoor volleyball. In the final, José Roberto Guimarães’ team defeated the United States 3–1, winning 25:15, 18:25, 25:13, 25:21.
The victory completed an extraordinary Olympic journey for a Brazilian generation that had previously collected silver medals at Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004. Players such as Fofão, Sheilla Castro, Fabiana, Jaqueline and Marianne Steinbrecher finally reached the top of the podium.
Brazil’s triumph was particularly remarkable because it came against the United States, while hosts China defeated Cuba to take bronze on the same day.

And there was an extraordinary personal coincidence: Brazilian outside hitter Marianne “Mari” Steinbrecher was celebrating her birthday that day !
She turned 25 while winning an Olympic gold medal — surely one of the most memorable birthday presents imaginable.
She was born in São Paulo on August 23, 1983, and she became an important member of Brazil’s national team during one of the strongest periods in its history. Her greatest achievement came in Beijing in 2008.
Few athletes can say they won an Olympic title on their birthday. Mari can.

One of the great figures of Italian volleyball, Marco Bracci was born in Fucecchio also on this day, August 23, 1966.
A key member of Italy’s legendary national team of the late 1980s and 1990s, he won the 1990 and 1994 World Championships, the 1995 World Cup and multiple World League titles. He also collected Olympic medals at Atlanta 1996, where Italy won silver, and Sydney 2000, where the Italians took bronze.
He belonged to the generation that transformed Italy into one of the dominant forces in world volleyball and helped establish the foundations of the era later known as the “Generation of Phenomena”, “Generazione dei Fenomeni”.

Brazilian middle blocker Gustavo Endres was born on August 23, 1975.
Together with his brother Murilo, he became one of the familiar faces of Brazil’s golden generation. He won Olympic gold at Athens 2004, followed by silver at Beijing 2008, and was part of Brazil’s World Championship-winning teams in 2002 and 2006.
His career spanned one of the most dominant periods ever produced by a national team, as Brazil combined Olympic success with World Championship, World Cup and World League titles.

Also Peruvian volleyball player Cecilia del Risco was born on August 23, 1960. She represented Peru at three consecutive Olympic Games — Montreal 1976, Moscow 1980 and Los Angeles 1984 — and was part of the remarkable Peruvian generation that won silver at the 1982 World Championship.
That era remains one of the most important chapters in South American women’s volleyball, with Peru challenging the traditional powers of the sport on the world stage.

Hungarian international Gabriella Csapó-Fekete was also born on August 23, 1954. A two-time Olympian, she represented Hungary at Montreal 1976 and Moscow 1980 and earned 282 international caps during her career.
She later became part of the history of Hungarian volleyball not only as a player but also as one of the figures associated with the country’s international generation of the 1970s and early 1980s.

And twenty years before Paris 2024, the Olympic volleyball tournaments in Athens were entering their decisive stages. On August 23, the men’s indoor competition completed its preliminary phase, while the beach volleyball tournaments moved into their semifinal rounds.
The Athens Games would ultimately produce Brazil’s Emanuel and Ricardo as men’s beach volleyball champions, while the indoor tournaments would conclude with Brazil taking men’s gold and China winning the women’s title.

August 23, then, is a date that connects several generations of volleyball history — and perhaps its most charming story remains that of Mari Steinbrecher, who celebrated her birthday by finally winning the Olympic gold medal Brazil had been chasing for years!

Today is also International Hashtag Day.
What could be better than an event, a day or an experience that has a good hashtag to go along with it?
International Hashtag Day is here to celebrate and pay heed to this little character that may be partially responsible for things online going viral!
The history of this day wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the background of the day’s subject: the hashtag.
Before the early 2000s, this little symbol was often used to indicate numbers. Sometimes called a pound sign (not to be confused with British currency symbol £), this little mark was standard on telephones, often used for retrieving voicemail or other activities.
But folks who were out in the twitter-sphere back in the mid-2000s might remember the first time a hashtag as it is known today made an appearance – on August 23, 2007.
The concept was created by the self-proclaimed “hash godfather”, Chris Messina, a product designer who wanted to make it easier for people on Twitter (now X) to be able to search out topics.
He was inspired by the tag feature on Flickr and made a post suggesting that the symbol would help organize social media in a more orderly fashion.
Three days later, the term “hashtag” was first used in a blog post and it didn’t take long for the concept to catch on. Its first viral moment in 2012 when #CeaseFire was used.
Hashtag use evolved and spread throughout various platforms such as Instagram, Pinterist, Reddit, Tiktok and more.
Today, more than 100 million hashtags are used every single day. So whether for good or bad, since the hashtag began, the world of social media has never quite been the same!
The first International Hashtag Day was celebrated in 2018 as a nod to Chris Messina’s original idea.

In Poland, Jastrzębie Barkom have strengthened their roster with other two new additions ahead of the upcoming season, bringing in Polish middle blocker Sebastian Adamczyk and Norwegian setter Jakob Solgaard Thelle.
Adamczyk joins Jastrzębie-Zdrój from Steam Hemarpol Politechnika Częstochowa and will add further quality and depth to the middle-blocker position. The Polish player is now set to take on a new challenge in the TAURON Liga, wearing the Jastrzębie Barkom colours for the first time.
His arrival is expected to reinforce the team at the net, with his blocking ability and attacking presence offering another option in the centre of the court.
Jastrzębie Barkom have also completed the signing of Jakob Solgaard Thelle, who will take over the setter position. The Norwegian setter arrives from TS BBTS Bielsko-Biała, making the step up from Poland’s second tier to the TAURON Liga.
Both players have been welcomed to Jastrzębie-Zdrój as the club looks ahead to a new chapter and another season in Poland’s top flight.

Morocco have completed a remarkable hat-trick of Olympic Games appearances in men’s beach volleyball, securing their place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games after winning the African Beach Volleyball Continental Championship in Alexandria.
The Moroccan men’s team emerged victorious in a fiercely contested continental championship final against Algeria, claiming Africa’s coveted Olympic qualification spot and extending Morocco’s remarkable presence on the Olympic beach volleyball stage.
Their qualification for LA28 means Morocco will compete at the Olympic Games for the third consecutive edition, following appearances at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.
Morocco qualified for Tokyo by winning the African Continental Cup in Agadir, while the country secured its Paris 2024 place after winning the 2024 CAVB Continental Cup Final in Martil.
The achievement represents a significant milestone for Moroccan beach volleyball and highlights the country’s sustained development and competitiveness on the continent.
At the Alexandria championship, Morocco entered as defending continental champions, with Zouheir Elgraoui and Soufiane El Gharouti leading the title defence.

Also in Africa, Gambia Police Force Men’s Volleyball Team has been crowned 2026 National Volleyball League champions after defeating the Gambia Armed Forces 3–1 in a thrilling Grand Final on Saturday, August 22, 2026.
Gambia Armed Forces made a strong start to the highly competitive encounter, taking the opening set 25–21. The Police responded with determination and composure, claiming the second set by the same 25–21 scoreline to level the contest.
Building on that momentum, the winners maintained a strong team performance to take the third set 25–19. With the championship within reach, the team remained composed in the fourth set, securing another 25–19 victory to complete the comeback and seal the championship.
The final attracted a large and enthusiastic crowd, with supporters from both sides creating a vibrant atmosphere throughout the encounter. The Gambia Police Band further enlivened the occasion with musical performances that added to the excitement and celebration surrounding the final.
The championship reflects the values of teamwork, discipline, resilience and determination that remain central to both sporting excellence and service within the Gambia Police Force.

Vaavu Felidhoo won the champions’ title of the men’s Raajje Super League in the Maldives.
In the final, played in Male on August 9, they mastered a 3-0 (25:21, 25:16, 25:23) victory over Baa Goidhoo.
The third-place match was played earlier that day and the bronze medals went to Thaa Hirilandhoo, who beat Laamu Fonadhoo by 3-0 (25:20, 25:23, 25:19). Felidhoo’s opposite Hassan Nilam was honored as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the league.

The men’s Maldives Cup final was then played on August 20 in the country’s capital. Maldives Transport and Contracting Company Male (MTCC) claimed the trophy after a 3-1 (25:23, 25:20, 23:25, 33:31) victory over Dhivehi Sifainge Male. In the bronze medal game, Lions Recreation Club Male celebrated a 3-2 (25:22, 25:17, 18:25, 16:25, 15:12) win over HDC Male. The MVP award went to MTCC’s middle blocker Mohamed Ahsan.

Brazil closes out the preliminary round undefeated, taking down Argentina in straight sets at the FIVB Boys’ U17 Volleyball World Championship: 25:19, 25:15, 25:21 in Pool C.
Straight sets win also for Iran over Chinese Taipei (25:15, 25:21, 25:17) in Pool E, closing a flawless preliminary round campaign to stay undefeated, and for Italy over Cuba (25:22, 25:10, 26:24) in Pool B and for Tunisia, who swept hosts Qatar Pool A (25:15, 25:18, 25:17), while Egypt down Spain at tie break in Pool D (18:25, 25:21, 25:27, 25:19, 10:15).

We close today’s rich episode with something about friendly matches played today. After sweeping Iran and Belarus (the game played yesterday ended 3-0, partially 25:23, 25:20 and 25:16), Russia National Team celebrated third win in as many games winning 3-0 also against Cuba (25:21, 34:32, 25:20), while, also in Ufa, Belarus defeated Iran at tie break (21:25, 25:22, 25:21, 23:25 and 15:7).
This evening, 8.30pm, Sweden will face Estonia.

See you tomorrow at the usual VolleyBar appointment, at 8:00 PM as always, for another roundup of volleyball news — including the stories you won’t find anywhere else!

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