Costa Rica to host 14th Central American Women's Volleyball Cup
Costa Rica will host the 14th edition of the Central American women's Volleyball Cup from today to Saturday, in the National Gymnasium, in San José, the Costa Rica Volleyball Federation said on Monday.

The tournament has attracted teams from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.

Organizers have scheduled three days of games during which each team will play every other team, with a Costa Rica match headlining every day, in a bid to draw the largest audience.

Braulio Godinez, the Costa Rican team's manager, said that his team are ready to win this competition and get ready for 2006's Japan World Cup.

"The Central American Cup is our key competition and we are taking it very seriously. It is also true that we view it as the final preparation for the World Cup. We hope to use this tournament to improve our game and to win it as clearly as possible in order to boost our confidence."

The manager planning other preparatory games ahead of the Japan competition, like Mexico's September Aztec Cup.

Costa Rica is in Group A of the World Cup, alongside South Korea, Japan, Chinese Taipei, Kenya and Poland.

Johnny Araya, San Jose's mayor, told media that this week's volleyball is part of the cultural and sporting events in the Ibero-American City of Culture 2006 program.