News / Sports

Argentine Lozano pens contract with Iran volleyball federation

Tuesday, 22 December 2015 2:21 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 14 May 2018 7:57 AM ]

Argentine professional volleyball coach Raul Lucio Lozano

Argentine Raul Lucio Lozano has signed a contract with the Islamic Republic of Iran Volleyball Federation (IRIVF) to train the Iranian men’s national volleyball team up until the conclusion of the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics.

The 59-year-old finalized the agreement in a ceremony attended by the president of the IRIVF, Mohammad Reza Davarzani, and caretaker manager of the team, Amir Khoshkhabar, in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Tuesday.

Under Lozano’s tutelage, the Iranian men’s volleyball team will compete in the Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament as well as the 2016 Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) Volleyball World League, which will be the 27th edition of the annual men's international volleyball tournament and played from June 16 to July 17 in Poland.

Lozano replaces former head coach of the national Iranian team Slobodan Kovac. Iran put on a poor performance under Kovac at the 2015 FIVB World Cup in Japan, and finished in the 8th place.

Argentine assistant volleyball coach Juan Manuel Cichello

He will be assisted by his countryman Juan Manuel Cichello in the team.

The 2015 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Cup started in Japan on September 8, and finished on September 23.

The tournament served as a qualification process for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The top two teams, the United States and Italy, qualified for the Olympics and joined Brazil, which had already secured a berth as the host country.

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