Giovanni Guidetti has officially been named the new head coach of the Canadian women’s volleyball team, Volleyball Canada announced on Tuesday.
The 52-year-old Italian brings an impressive resume, having served as head coach of Turkish club Vakifbank Spor Kulubu since 2008. Under his leadership, Vakifbank has clinched seven Turkish League titles, five FIVB Club World Championship gold medals, and five CEV Champions League titles.
One of Guidetti’s most notable achievements came during the 2012-13 season when Vakifbank achieved an extraordinary 52-0 record, winning five championship trophies.
On the international stage, Guidetti most recently guided Serbia to a seventh-place finish at the Paris 2024 Olympics. His coaching career includes stints with Turkey (2017-22), the Netherlands (2015-17), Germany (2006-15), and Bulgaria (2003).
Guidetti replaces Shannon Winzer, who has coached the team since 2021 and is transitioning to a new role as the team’s high-performance director. Winzer led the Canadian squad to its highest-ever world ranking of eighth and record-breaking 10th-place finishes at the Volleyball Nations League in both 2023 and 2024.
Despite not qualifying for the Olympic women’s volleyball tournament since 1996, Canada came close for Paris 2024, narrowly missing qualification by just one point in its pool.
“I always admired and respected the way Canada played volleyball and improved so much in the last years,” Guidetti said in a statement. “The No. 8 world ranking is an amazing result and now a great starting point aiming at the (2028) Los Angeles Olympic Games. I believe Canada has top-level international players and the young generations are very promising, so I am really excited to start this new journey.”
Source: Swifteradio.com
