Sports of many kinds have been included in the Olympic Games, whether as official or unofficial showcase sports. Because of the IOC's decisions, many sports have been added and removed from the Olympics since 1896. A total of 42 sports were included in the Olympics at various times.
Since 1964, both men and women have been able to participate in volleyball at the Summer Olympics. There have only been three teams to win numerous gold medals at the men's event since its inception: Brazil, the United States, and the former Soviet Union. Japan, Poland, the Netherlands, Russia, and the disbanded Yugoslavia have each been crowned champions in the remaining five Olympics.
Some volleyball players wear a red shirt or a jersey of a different hue than their teammates. This is especially confusing to people who have never played volleyball before. On all Olympic volleyball teams, there is that one player that wears a jersey of a different color than the other players. When wearing a team uniform, players usually wear their opposing colors to stand out from their teammates.
Why does one volleyball player have a different color jersey?
The players who wear different color jerseys are called "libero". The libero in volleyball is generally located on the back row of the court. Their substitutes do not follow the same regulations as the usual substitutions. A libero, on the other hand, is prohibited from serving in certain rule sets.
During a match, one team can have up to two liberos. Liberos are defensive specialists, and their jerseys are typically one of their country's official colors, but they are always in contrast to the rest of the team's jerseys. Olympic volleyball's governing body, the International Volleyball Federation, created the position in 1996 to aid defensive tactics.
In order for referees to quickly identify the libero and execute the regulations of that particular playing position, the liberos are required to wear a distinctive color jersey. After the regulations were amended in 2021, only the libero is allowed to be the team captain.
