FIVB explores volleyball opportunities in Odisha with Abhinav Bindra Foundation Trust and State Government

December 15, 2025.- This week, an FIVB delegation visited Odisha, India to explore new opportunities for volleyball development, meeting with senior state officials and touring the Abhinav Bindra Foundation Trust (ABFT) High-Performance Centre in Bhubaneswar.

The delegation met with Sachin Ramachandra Jhadav, Commissioner-cum-Secretary for the Sports & Youth Services Department, Government of Odisha, along with other senior state government officials, to discuss strategic collaborations aimed at enhancing grassroots and elite sports initiatives across the state.

At the ABFT High-Performance Centre, the team was led by Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra, the first Indian athlete to win an individual Olympic gold medal. Following his retirement, Abhinav Bindra founded ABFT, a nonprofit dedicated to nurturing young talent across India. The Foundation works with the Olympic Values Education Program (OVEP) across 63,000 schools in partnership with the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage (OFCH) and state governments.

The ABFT High-Performance Centres, located in Chandigarh and Bhubaneswar, provide elite athletes with free, world-class training using advanced sports science and technology. Athletes also receive physiotherapy and mental wellness support, enabling holistic development and data-driven improvement to achieve Olympic-level performance across multiple sports.

The FIVB’s visit to the Bhubaneswar Centre builds on the collaboration between the FIVB and ABFT through the Udaan School Volleyball Program. This landmark initiative, aimed at growing volleyball at the grassroots, began in Chandigarh from 18 to 22 August 2025 and is a partnership between the FIVB, ABFT, the FIVB Volleyball Foundation and the Departments of Sports and Education – Government of Chandigarh, supported by OVEP.

The Odisha visit signals the potential for similar large-scale initiatives in the region, combining all partners’ expertise to expand opportunities for young athletes in the region.