Volleyball is a six-a-side team game played indoor or outdoor in a rectangular area divided into equal square courts.  The two teams hit a large ball back and forth over a horizontal net with their hands.
Volleyball was developed in the USA, and formulated in  1895 by William G.Morgan at the YMCA Gymnasium at Holyoke, Massachussetts, specially for middle-aged men who found basketball too vigorous.  To begin with, a basketball was used and a net placed between the two teams.  The basketball was found too heavy, hence a lighter ball was made.  In the early years of the century, the game spread to Asia and Europe.  The International Volleyball Federation was founded in Paris in April 1947.  The game achieved Olympic status in 1964. 

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