LAUSANNE, Switzerland, October 10, 2026.- Volleyball’s growing popularity in Saudi Arabia and opportunities to further develop the sport across the Kingdom were highlighted during a meeting with the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC) at the Volleyball House in Lausanne.
The visit provided an opportunity to look at how Saudi’s strong existing foundations could further support volleyball at every level – from introducing more young people to the sport to developing national teams.
The SOPC delegation was led by Vice President HH Prince Fahad Bin Jalawi Bin Abdulaziz Bin Musaed, alongside Moath Alfaifi, Director PMO; Nasser Al Majali, Islamic Solidarity Sports Association Secretary General; and Bader Aldughther, SOPC Assistant Manager IR.
They met with FIVB President Fabio Azevedo, Volleyball World CEO Ugo Valensi, Volleyball World COO Guido Betti, FIVB General Sports Director Steve Tutton, Head of Sports Department Yu Cao and Head of International Affairs and Communications Anna Manuelian.
The SOPC delegation highlighted volleyball’s popularity in the country, especially during Ramadan, while also underlining the wider importance of sport in the Kingdom and the focus on developing local talent. The Saudi Games, the country’s largest national multi-sport event, were cited as one example. The most recent edition, held in 2024, brought together more than 6,000 athletes from over 200 clubs, providing a major national platform for Saudi athletes to compete and develop.
Developing local expertise was one important area of discussion, with potential knowledge-transfer programmes for coaches, referees and administrators explored as a way of further supporting the Saudi Volleyball Federation.
At the base of the pathway, the two organisations also discussed mass participation programmes in schools and opportunities to give more young people access to volleyball.
Attention then turned to performance. Support for Saudi Arabia’s national teams through the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment programme was explored, with beach volleyball identified as one area where targeted support could help accelerate development.
The meeting also looked towards the international stage, with discussions exploring a potential roadmap for future volleyball and beach volleyball events in the Kingdom.
Taken together, the areas discussed span the full journey of the sport – from a first experience of volleyball at school, through stronger technical expertise and national team development, to more opportunities to compete in and host international events.