LONDON -- Sports and romance, we can have both at the London Olympics, when Italy's wing spiker Antonella Del Core nodded to the proposal from her boyfriend right in the volleyball event venue.

The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) announced the good news at the website on Thursday with a picture of the emotional Del Core kissing her man.

Love was in air at the Earls Court, where hundreds of spectators witnessed the sensational scene soon after Italy upset Japan 3-1 on Monday night. Del Core scored 16 points, being one of the best of her team. She went to greet her boyfriend Francesco on the stands, when the special "huge fan" took out an engagement ring, asking her to marry him.

The 31-year-old woman was surprised and later moved into tears. With cheers of fans and teammates, she said "yes".

As a member of the national team in Beijing, Del Core received a stop by doctors. She managed to come to London to walk through an unfinished Olympic journey. And this time, for better or worse, she got a life-long partner to go together.