The 26th Confederation of European Volleyball (CEV) Men's Championships kicked off in western province of Izmir on Thursday with a ceremony attended by Turkish State Minister Faruk Nafiz Ozak.

The ceremony took place at the Halkapinar Sports Auditorium.

The Championships will continue until September 13 in Turkish provinces of Izmir and Istanbul.

16 European teams are competing in the Championships (Turkey, Spain, Russia, Serbia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia).

Aside from hosting the Championships, Turkey will also host the 2009 CEV General Assembly on September 11 in Izmir.


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