Volleyball made its Olympic Games debut（初次演出） in Tokyo in 1964, with the Soviet Union winning the men's gold medal and the Japanese women being crowned as champions in front of their home crowd. Since then, volleyball has continued to witness the rise and fall of great international teams, with countries as diverse as Cuba, Brazil, the Soviet Union, China, the United States, the Netherlands, Poland and Japan collecting gold medals. While power and height have become vital components of international teams, the ability of teams and coaches to devise（發(fā)明，設(shè)計） new tactics（戰(zhàn)術(shù)）, strategies and skills have been crucial for success at the Olympic Games.

1964年，排球運動首次亮相日本東京奧運會賽場，有10支男隊和6支女隊參加了比賽。 至2004年雅典奧運會，排球運動進(jìn)入奧運會這個神圣的殿堂已經(jīng)整整40個年頭。在這充滿著光榮與夢想的40年中，奧運會排球比賽的規(guī)模已由最初的10支男隊和6支女隊發(fā)展到男女各12支隊伍。迄今為止，共有7支男隊（前蘇聯(lián)、日本、波蘭、美國、巴西、荷蘭、前南斯拉夫）和4支女隊（日本、前蘇聯(lián)、中國、古巴）榮膺過奧運會排球冠軍的殊榮。