Temple of Dawn and Giant Swing announce World Grand Prix Finals in Bangkok

Lausanne, Switzerland, January 12, 2016 - The logo for the FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix Finals in 2016 has been released ahead of the event which will take place in Bangkok, Thailand from July 6 to 10, featuring the famous Wat Arun or Temple of Dawn and Sao Ching Cha, also known as the Giant Swing, both prominent features of the city.

Wat Arun is a Buddhist temple and among the most famous landmarks in Thailand; the name of the temple comes from the Hindu god Aruna, often represented by the rising sun. The second monument represented on the competition logo - Sao Ching Cha or the Giant Swing - is another top attraction for the many visitors to Bangkok and located in front of a temple called Wat Suthat.

The six-team World Grand Prix Finals will feature the top five teams in Group 1 and hosts Thailand, who will play for the title in what is the FIVB's premier annual competition for women's national teams.

A total of 28 teams will participate in the 24th edition of the World Grand Prix, which will run from June 3 to July 10. The twelve teams participating in Group 1 will be: defending champions and world No. 1 USA, China, Brazil, Russia, Japan, Serbia, Italy, Turkey, Germany, Thailand, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Group 1 will be played over three weekends: June 9-12, June 17-19 and June 24-26. The Finals will follow on July 6-10, while the Group 2 Finals in Plovdiv, Bulgaria and Group 3 Finals in Almaty, Kazakhstan will be played from June 17-19, on the weekend following the end of the preliminary rounds in the those two groups.

This year's edition of the World Grand Prix will take place in the immediate build-up to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, which will take place from August 5-21. It will also overlap with the 2016 edition of the FIVB Volleyball World League, which will take place from June 17-July 17.

In 2015, coach Karch Kiraly's USA became the first team to win the World Grand Prix Finals on home soil when they sailed through the final six in Omaha undefeated. Russia took second place and Brazil third. Read more here.

Click here for the dates of the different phases of the 2016 FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix.
Click here for the Group 1 match schedule.