December 1, 2024.- FIVB President Fabio Azevedo has taken key actions in his new role, which include meeting with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to share their bold vision for empowering the Global Volleyball Movement, among others.
FIVB President Fabio Azevedo and Secretary General Hugh McCutcheon visited the Olympic House, where they met IOC President Thomas Bach and Director General Christophe de Kepper.
The discussions focused on the FIVB’s Strategic Vision 2024-2032, which sets an ambitious roadmap for the future of volleyball.
During the visit, Fabio Azevedo outlined the FIVB’s goal to make the sport more accessible by empowering National Federations, Zonal Associations, Continental Confederations and, therefore, doubling volleyball’s 800-million-strong global fanbase to 1.6 billion within the next eight years. This transformative vision is centered around the key pillars of professionalism, integration, empowerment and mass participation.
Through the motto “Together As One” – the FIVB leadership reaffirmed its commitment to not only ensuring a united and empowered Global Volleyball Movement, but also its commitment to working hand-in-hand with the IOC and wider Olympic Movement.
At another significant gathering, the President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić welcomed Mr. Fabio Azevedo, President of the FIVB, and Mr. Roko Sikirić, President of the European Volleyball Confederation (CEV). Officials from the Volleyball Federation of Serbia (VFS) also joined the event, which celebrated the centenary of volleyball in Serbia and explored the sport’s promising future.
The meeting, held at the General Secretariat of the President of the Republic in Belgrade, was also attended by Mr. Zoran Gajić, Minister of Sports in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Mr. Božidar Maljković, President of the National Olympic Committee of Serbia and Mr. Marko Kešelj, State Secretary of the Ministry of Sports in Serbia.
Discussions focused on reinforcing Serbia’s position as a strong volleyball nation, enhancing collaboration on hosting major international events, and supporting the ongoing development of volleyball infrastructure, including the soon-to-be-launched National Volleyball Training Centre. This state-of-the-art facility has the potential to become a global Centre of Excellence, providing a support and development hub for players and coaches worldwide.
FIVB President Fabio Azevedo expressed his enthusiasm for the continued collaboration, noting the significant strides Serbia has made in the growth of volleyball.
Also, the FIVB and Volleyball World hosted a high-level South African delegation at its headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, signaling a promising future for beach volleyball development in South Africa.
The delegation was led by Barry Hendricks, President of the country’s National Olympic Committee, and Gayton McKenzie, South Africa’s Minister of Sport, Art and Culture. The discussions were focused on the nation’s commitment to hosting beach volleyball events, including potential Beach Pro Tour stops in the future, Global Volleyball Movement gatherings and a future edition of the Beach Volleyball World Championships.
The South African delegation emphasized their vision for establishing the country as a hub for international volleyball events.
FIVB President Fabio Azevedo praised the productive meeting, stating: “We were delighted to meet with South Africa’s National Olympic Committee and Ministry of Sport, Arts, and Culture. Their enthusiasm and commitment to the growth of beach volleyball align perfectly with our mission to advance the Global Volleyball Movement and make the sport accessible to all.”
In other matters, the FIVB and the International University Sports Federation (FISU) signed the Volleyball Collaboration Convention in Switzerland to extend their long-standing collaboration in beach volleyball to indoor volleyball.
FIVB President Fabio Azevedo welcomed FISU President Leonz Eder in Lausanne to officiate the agreement, which will promote volleyball programmes in universities and boost FISU activities with FIVB’s National Federations. The agreement also sets the stage for new opportunities in training, competitions and talent development for student-athletes.
Volleyball has been an integral part of the FISU World University Games Summer programme since its inception in 1959. The newly signed convention, which will commence on 1 January 2025 for four years, underscores a commitment to furthering the growth and development of beach and indoor volleyball across the university sports landscape worldwide.
“We are thrilled to be extending our collaboration with FISU. Having had such a successful beach volleyball partnership for a number of years, it seemed only natural to partner through volleyball too. Student-athletes are a key part of the Global Volleyball Movement, and we are excited to create even more opportunities for them to be part of our sport!”, Azevedo said in the organization’s official press release.
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