December 3, 2025.- The FIVB this week welcomed a delegation from Swiss Volley, including President Daniela Aeschlimann, Secretary General Philippe Aaxer and promoter of the highly successful Elite 16 Gstaad event, Ruedi Kunz, to the Volleyball House in Lausanne, Switzerland. Discussions focused on the progress of volleyball in Switzerland through the Volleyball Empowerment programme and an exploration of opportunities for future collaboration.
Representing the FIVB were President Fabio Azevedo, General Sports Director Steve Tutton, Head of Empowerment and NF Relations Hitesh Malhotra, Head of Beach Volleyball Yu Cao and FIVB Finance and Administration Director Giuseppina Rigamonti.
A key topic of discussion was the significant impact of the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment programme. Over the past six years, Swiss Volley has received USD 633,000 in support, enabling six empowerment projects across volleyball and beach volleyball. These include coaching support for the men’s national team led by Marco Fölmli, the women’s senior team with Lauren Bertolacci, the women’s U21 team coached by Aida Shouk and three beach volleyball programmes: the men’s team under Philip Gabathuler, a men’s and women’s programme led by David Scheidegger and the women’s team coached by Damian Wojtasik. These initiatives have contributed to strong performances, such as the recent Beach Volleyball results at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the Swiss men’s national volleyball team qualifying for EuroVolley 2026.
Swiss Volley also presented a major upcoming initiative: a Centre of Excellence in Bern, developed in partnership with a local club. The facility will feature four indoor and five outdoor beach volleyball courts, along with physiotherapy, gym and recovery amenities. It is set to be accredited as an FIVB Centre of Excellence and is scheduled to open in August 2026.
Discussions also highlighted the prestigious Gstaad Beach Volleyball event, which is set to celebrate its 26th edition. Both the FIVB and Swiss Volley affirmed their interest in future collaboration, particularly around technology innovation and strengthening event partnerships within Switzerland.
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