Leaders
The very first edition of the women's European Championship took place in 1949 in Prague, with participation of seven national teams and the Soviet Union claiming the title. From 1950 onwards, the event ran together with the men’s competition up until 1989, when Sweden and West Germany hosted the men’s and women’s continental showpiece event, respectively. EuroVolley 2019 was the first time the continental flagship competition featured as many as 24 participating teams; 14 nations have medalled at least once this far, with Russia boasting an impressive tally of 26 medals, including 17 won by the Soviet Union, which secured the title a record 13 times.
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Editions
The 31 European Championship tournaments have been won by eight different national teams. Russia have won nineteen times (thirteen as Soviet Union). The other multiple European Championship winners are Serbia and Italy with three titles each, as well Germany (as East Germany) and Poland with two apiece; Bulgaria, Czech Republic as (Czechoslovakia) and the Netherlands follow next with one title each. Pictured are the home heroines of Bulgaria that caused a major sensation at the 1981 European Championship as they stopped the Soviet supremacy after seven consecutive editions.