On this day…
World Smile Day, Amarcord and volleyball birthdays, remembering Alton “Al” Fish, pre-season, 20th Asian Games and Asian beach volley.
Welcome to the 99th episode of VolleyBar, the last one before our usual weekend break!
Today is first Friday of October, and so this is World Smile Day.
Sometimes all it takes to make the day better is a smile, whether it’s one someone gives to you, or one you share with another.
Little acts of kindness can bring a shining smile to someone who has otherwise had a terrible day, and it can change everything that follows.
Whether it’s just a simple compliment, a cheery hello, or a gift of something small to help brighten their day, World Smile Day encourages you to take action to bring a few more smiles into the world.
Let’s take a look at some interesting and surprising facts about this day: for example, did you know that 470 iterations of the smileys were made for Internet emoticons in 1999?
That’s a lot of smiley faces, isn’t it?
Did you also know that happiness is biological? When you smile, endorphins are created. These are neurotransmitters that cause feelings of pleasure. And, do you know why the color yellow was used for the smiley face? Well, this one you might be able to guess! Yellow is the symbol of cheerfulness, so what better color for a smiley face?
It is also important to remember that you should be smiling on World Smile Day! Whatever you do decide to do on this day, there is one important ingredient: a smile!
On October 2, 2011, Serbia won the Women’s European Championship for the first time in their history, beating Germany 3–2 in the final at Belgrade’s Pionir Hall.
16:25, 25:20, 19:25, 25:20, 15:9
More than 9,000 spectators packed the hall as Serbia came back from 2–1 down. Germany had won the opening and third sets, but the hosts forced a deciding set and dominated the tiebreak.
It was Serbia’s first European women’s title, and it came just two weeks after the Serbian men’s team had won the men’s EuroVolley title in Vienna.
In other words, Serbia became European champions in both men’s and women’s volleyball in the same year!
Earlier on October 2, Türkiye defeated Italy 3–2 in the bronze-medal match:
25:21, 15:25, 25:27, 25:19, 15:10.
The Turkish team recovered from losing the semifinal to Serbia the previous evening and secured the second European Championship medal in their history, after their silver medal in 2003.
Neslihan Darnel scored 31 points and was the outstanding player of the match.
So the 2011 women’s EuroVolley podium was:
🥇 Serbia
🥈 Germany
🥉 Türkiye
with Italy fourth.
That is particularly nice for today’s column because Türkiye are now European champions, 15 years after that bronze medal in Belgrade!
On October 2, 1970, Bulgaria and East Germany played one of the strangest and most dramatic finals in World Championship history in Sofia.
The German Democratic Republic eventually won 3–2:
15:11, 13:15, 15:7, 4:15, 16:14.
But the fifth set became legendary.
Bulgaria were leading 10–1 and later 13–5, apparently just two points from the World Championship title.
Then disaster struck — literally.
A power outage interrupted the match.
When play resumed, East Germany produced an extraordinary comeback, eventually winning the deciding set 16–14 and taking the world title.
Bulgaria therefore finished with silver, their best-ever World Championship result at the time, while the GDR became world champions.
There is an additional reason this belongs in your calendar: the 1970 World Championship was played in Bulgaria, with matches in Sofia, Yambol, Haskovo and Kardzhali.
And exactly 56 years later, Bulgaria remain one of the countries with one of the richest historical connections to the men’s World Championship.
Bulgaria had been almost unstoppable before the final.
They had gone through the opening stages without dropping a set and entered the decisive phase among the tournament favourites.
In the final phase they defeated Japan, Poland, Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union, while East Germany’s only defeat in the decisive round had been a narrow 2–3 loss to Japan.
So Bulgaria’s collapse from 13–5 ahead in the fifth set is one of those extraordinary pieces of volleyball history that sounds almost fictional.
In 2010, Russia’s Alexander Likholetov and Evgeniy Romashkin won the Chennai Challenger, recording the partnership’s only FIVB World Tour victory.
On the women’s side, Germany’s Jana Köhler and Kira Walkenhorst also won in Chennai, likewise claiming the only FIVB victory of their partnership.
And Walkenhorst, of course, would later become one of Germany’s biggest beach-volleyball names, winning Olympic gold in Rio 2016 with Laura Ludwig.
One year ago today, October 2, 2025, Poland were returning home from the Philippines with their World Championship bronze medal.
FIVB reported the team’s reception in Warsaw following their third-place finish at the 2025 World Championship.
It was another medal in an extraordinary run for Polish men’s volleyball, and the federation highlighted the team’s remarkable record of continuing to reach the podium at major tournaments.
And the subsequent year makes the date even more interesting:
• 2025 — World Championship bronze
• 2026 — European Championship gold + LA28 qualification
And today is also the birthday of Waldemar Wspaniały, who turns 79. FIVB specifically noted his birthday in its report on the Polish team’s return from the 2025 World Championship!
There is also a big Italian birthday.
Ivan Zaytsev was born in Spoleto on October 2, 1988.
The son of Soviet Olympic champion Vjacheslav Zaytsev, Ivan became one of the defining Italian players of his generation.
His international career includes:
🥈 London 2012 Olympic Games
🥉 Rio 2016 Olympic Games
🥈 2015 World Cup
🥈 2013 European Championship
🏆 2012 European League
🏆 2013 European Championship bronze
He also became one of the most recognisable Italian players in club volleyball, winning major trophies with Lube, Perugia and Modena, among others.
Today he turns 38. His Olympic record is two medals: silver in London and bronze in Rio.
Brazilian outside hitter Regiane Bidias was born on October 2, 1986, in Piracicaba.
She represented Brazil internationally and later played extensively in Europe, including ŁKS Commercecon Łódź in Poland and Bartoccini Perugia in Italy.
Her career therefore connects three of the countries you regularly want covered: Brazil, Poland and Italy.
She was also MVP and Best Spiker at the 2004 U20 South American Championship.
Brazilian middle blocker Riad Ribeiro was born on October 2, 1981.
He played for the Brazilian national team and enjoyed an important European club career.
Among his biggest club achievements was winning the 2010 FIVB Men’s Club World Championship with Trentino, giving him a particularly strong connection to Italian volleyball.
Chen Zhonghe was born on October 2, 1957, in Zhangzhou, China.
He became head coach of the Chinese women’s national team and led China to:
🥇 2003 World Cup
🥇 2004 Athens Olympic Games
The Athens title was especially significant: China defeated Russia in the final after overcoming a difficult start to the tournament.
He was one of the architects of China’s return to the top of world women’s volleyball in the early 2000s.
A nice historical Olympic birthday.
Hungarian player Emerencia Siry-Király was born on October 2, 1948.
She represented Hungary at three consecutive Olympic Games:
Munich 1972
Montreal 1976
Moscow 1980
Three Olympic appearances across three different editions is itself an impressive achievement.
Alton “Al” Fish, one of the most important American volleyball officials of the early international era, died on October 2, 1985, aged 69.
He was the first person from the Western Hemisphere to be named an International Volleyball Official, in 1956.
His international résumé included:
• Central American Games
• Pan-American Games
• 1960 World Championship
• 1962 World Games
• 1964 Olympic Games
• 1966 World Championship
He also served on the FIVB Officials Commission and helped train future international referees.
He was inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame in 1990.
Back to the present, the major Italian clubs are in the final phase of preparation before the SuperLega season.
One of today’s interesting events is the Coppa Pallavolo Senza Confini in Hartberg, Austria, where Rana Verona are playing alongside VfB Friedrichshafen, ACH Volley Ljubljana and hosts TSV Hartberg. The final is scheduled for tonight.
The 2026/27 Polish women’s league starts this weekend, with the first matches scheduled for October 2–3. Today sees Energa MKS Kalisz–PGE Budowlani Łódź and AZS Uni Opole–KPS Chemik Police.
So Poland’s domestic season is literally beginning as we speak.
Defending champions Iran put on an absolute masterclass, completely dismantling Pakistan in a massive straight-sets sweep to secure their spot in the 20th Asian Games Gold Medal match: 25:13, 25:15, 25:11.
They are now heading to the Asian Games Finals for the 5TH CONSECUTIVE TIME!
Host team Japan has officially punched their ticket to the Gold Medal match! In an epic five-set thriller, the Japanese men’s national team edged out China to secure their spot in the championship round: 23:25, 25:22, 25:18, 19:25, 15:13.
Japan will now face defending champions Iran in a highly anticipated Gold Medal showdown. China will move on to face Pakistan for the Bronze.
India bounced back in impressive fashion, defeating South Korea in four sets in their 5th–8th classification clash: 25:16, 25:20, 23:25, 25:23.
With the victory, India advances to the 5th-place match, while South Korea will compete for 7th place.
Thailand has secured a spot in the 5th-place classification match after defeating Qatar in four sets during today’s classification clash: 25:20, 25:19, 21:25, 25:21.
With the victory, Thailand will play for 5th place against India, while Qatar will face South Korea in the 7th-place match.
Chinese Taipei has officially secured their spot in the 9th place classification match! The team defeated Kazakhstan in a competitive four-set battle during today’s 9-12 classification round: 25:11, 23:25, 25:21, 25:20.
Vietnam has secured regional bragging rights! The Vietnamese national team defeated Southeast Asian rival Indonesia in a four-set clash to advance to the 9th-place match: 25:19, 25:23, 21:25, 25:22.
Vietnam will face Chinese Taipei for 9th place, while Indonesia will take on Kazakhstan in the 11th-place match.
Kyrgyzstan secured their first victory at the Asian Games after defeating Hong Kong in a tightly contested four-set battle in the 13th–16th classification round: 13:25, 26:24, 27:25, 25:23.
After dropping the first set, the Kyrgyz squad dug deep to win two consecutive extended sets before closing out the match in the fourth. With this victory, Kyrgyzstan will now compete for 13th place overall, while Hong Kong moves on to the 15th place match.
Also Alas Pilipinas capture their first victory, defeating Uzbekistan in four sets 25:19, 25:15, 23:25, 25:17.
With this win, Alas Pilipinas will advance to face Kyrgyzstan for 13th place, while Uzbekistan will play Hong Kong in the 15th place match.
We have reached the final day of the Asian Games! Will host nation Japan defend their home court for the ultimate prize, or will Iran cement their dynasty with a 4th consecutive Gold Medal?
October 3, 2026 GMT+8
9:00 AM
• 15th Place: 🇭🇰 Hong Kong vs Uzbekistan🇺🇿
• 7th Place: 🇰🇷 South Korea vs Qatar 🇶🇦
12:00 PM
• 13th Place: 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan vs Philippines 🇵🇭
• 5th Place: 🇹🇭 Thailand vs India 🇮🇳
3:00 PM
• 11th Place: 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan vs Indonesia 🇮🇩
• 🥉 Bronze Medal: 🇵🇰 Pakistan vs China 🇨🇳
6:00 PM
• 9th Place: 🇻🇳 Vietnam vs Chinese Taipei 🇹🇼
6:20 PM
• 🥇 Gold Medal: 🇮🇷 Iran vs Japan 🇯🇵
And, to close, a little bit of beach volleyball.
Thailand has returned to the top of the podium! In an unforgettable three-set thriller, the Thai duo of Taravadee Naraphornrapat and Worapeerachayakorn Kongphopsarutawadee defeated China‘s World No. 17 tandem, Xia Xinyi and Yan Xu, to win the Women’s Beach Volleyball Gold Medal: 21:17, 13:21, 15:8.
This monumental victory not only secures Thailand’s first gold in this event since 1998 but also officially snaps China’s dominant 6-gold medal streak at the Asian Games.
After trading the first two sets, the Thai pair completely took over the decider to etch their names in history.
And history made in Bronze Medal match.
The Philippines has officially claimed its first-ever beach volleyball medal at the Asian Games!
The Alas Pilipinas duo of Khylem Progella and Sofiah Pagara orchestrated a stunning comeback to defeat China‘s Cao Shuting and Dong Jie in a thrilling three-set clash: 13:21, 23:21, 15:13.
After dropping the opening set, the Philippine tandem fought off elimination in a tense 23-21 second frame before completing the upset in the deciding set.
Congratulations to Alas Pilipinas on a historic podium finish!
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