January 20 - Iowa City has clinched its bid to be named host city of the London 2012 Olympic team trials for USA Wrestling.

Carver-Hawkeye Arena serves as the home of Iowa's wrestling team, as well as its basketball and volleyball

By Duncan MackayBritish Sports Internet Writer of the YearJanuary 19 - Atos Origin, the the worldwide IT partner for the Olympics, is set to launch the Technology Lab, where more than 200,000 hours of testing will be carried out to try to ensure that London 2012 runs as smoothly as possible.

initial stages of testing, the first pack of seven sports, including athletics, tennis, basketball, volleyball

January 18 - London's world-famous Horse Guards Parade will host the Olympic beach volleyball in 2012

"The eight Royal Parks will host a range of London 2012 Games events and we're delighted that beach volleyball

structures such as an arena for 15,000 spectators and the creation of sand courts.The Olympic beach volleyball

days from late July to early August 2012.Related storiesDecember 2010: Exclusive - London 2012 beach volleyball

event confirmed at Horse Guard's Parade next AugustOctober 2010: Centre Court-style venue for beach volleyball

January 18 - Thomas Jones has today announced his resignation as the chief executive of Commonwealth Games Canada (CGC).

Jones, who was a member of Canada's 1984 Olympic men's volleyball team and has held previous roles in

January 15 - The development of beach volleyball may have turned a corner in 2010 after an investment

and volleyball around the world."

and beach volleyball to ensure it is more accessible for more people."

Via the development fund, the federations now have the tools to grow volleyball and beach volleyball.

Other key projects throughout the year to aid development included the beach volleyball Continental Cup

, which launched an additional Olympic qualifying process for the beach volleyball competition at the

January 15 - Former United States Olympic head coach Corby Fisher (pictured) has joined tour package and hospitality specialist Ludus Tours as their new director of sales and marketing.

accommodation and travel partnership dealOctober 2010: Tour chief backs sport she loved at school with volleyball

January 11 - A new venture aims to give businesses and other organisations the chance to offer their staff masterclasses with some of Britain's top athletes.

GlobalGames Sports, also organises sports experiences – such as trying out wheelchair basketball or sitting volleyball

Richard Stacey-Chapman, technical administrator for Volleyball England, said: "We have worked alongside

Sports-Experience.com to give thousands of people an experience of sitting volleyball."

The eye-catching arena and fun activities provided the ideal setting to showcase volleyball."

December 30 - Peter Blange (pictured) has resigned as head coach of the Dutch men's volleyball team with

Championship in Italy.They also failed to qualify for 2011 EuroVolley in Austria and Czech Republic.The Dutch Volleyball

Bert Goedkoop, the technical director of the Dutch Volleyball Federation, remained optimistic that the

By Duncan MackayBritish Sports Internet Writer of the YearDecember 29 - Jacques Rogge, the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), today laid the first stone at the site of the Athletes Village in Rio de Janeiro and praised the city's preparations for the 2016 Games.

Pires, the first Brazilian woman to win an Olympic gold medal when she claimed victory in the beach volleyball

December 25 - Top flight sides battled it out on the mat at the North West Premier League 4 Sport judo festival, which has been hailed a resounding success by organisers.

Premier League 4 Sport programme where each side creates four satellite clubs which stage badminton, volleyball

Federation Lawn Tennis Association TRIATHLON International Triathlon Union British Triathlon·Federation VOLLEYBALL

Federation Internationale de Volleyball British Volleyball Federation English Volleyball Association

Northern Ireland Volleyball Association Scottish Volleyball Association WEIGHTLIFTING International

By Tom DegunDecember 16 - The London 2012 Olympic Games test event for beach volleyball has been confirmed

by the Federation of International Volleyball (FIVB) and will take place at the iconic Horse Guard's

exact formula to be used at the 2012 Olympics.Kenny Barton, performance programme manager for British Volleyball

fantastic to be having this test event next year to give a flavour of what it will be like having beach volleyball

Street.A FIBA statement added: "The FIVB is pleased to announce the confirmation of the FIVB Beach Volleyball

Meanwhile Olympic volleyball will be hosted not far away from the beach volleyball at Earls Court.Contact

at [email protected] storiesOctober 2010: Centre Court-style venue for beach volleyball

December 9 - A spectacular display of fireworks, music and dance marked the opening of the 2nd Asian Beach Games in Muscat, Oman.

Fourteen sports ranging from beach volleyball soccer and handball to the intriguingly-named "tent pegging

By Mike Rowbottom in LondonDecember 9 - Six increasingly successful summer sports will benefit from a £2.6million ($4.1 million) increase in UK Sport funding over the next 18 months, while two sports - badminton and the Paralympic discipline of goalball - have reduced levels of funding in the annual review figures announced today.

Association's request for an extra £200,000 ($316,000) to support the 2012 preparations of the women's volleyball

of £2,718,538 ($4,289,267) for 2009-13.Liz Nicholl (pictured), UK Sport's chief executive, said volleyball

writer of this story at [email protected] storiesDecember 2010: Hunt denies volleyball

December 9 - Raffaella Cinti (pictured) has been appointed director of operations at the sports tour company Ludus Tours, with specific responsibilities for hospitality and operations at the London 2012 Games.

accommodation and travel partnership dealOctober 2010: Tour chief backs sport she loved at school with volleyball