FIVB President addresses CEV Board of Administration ahead of Super Finals

FIVB President Dr Ary S. Graça F° addressed the European Volleyball Confederation (CEV) Board of Administration in a meeting held ahead of the CEV Champions League Super Finals, where the top four clubs in Europe will showcase their best in front of passionate fans.

The FIVB President commended the CEV Board of Administration, led by CEV President Aleksandar Boričić, for its outstanding work in embracing a new professional mentality and incorporating innovative elements, such as sports presentation and the latest technologies, in Europe.

In addition, President Dr Ary S. Graça F° highlighted the FIVB’s commitment to developing the sport worldwide through its revolutionary Volleyball Empowerment and development programmes across all five continents, including in Europe:

“Since 2017, the FIVB has invested over 7 million CHF into the National Federations and Zonal Associations here in Europe. Through the Volleyball Empowerment and development programmes, 185 projects have been approved in 45 National Federations across Europe with a total investment of over 6 million CHF. These include 73 coach support projects, 91 volleyball equipment projects and 21 knowledge transfer projects.”

During his address, the FIVB President also highlighted notable success stories from the Volleyball Empowerment and development projects in Europe. These include the medals won by the national beach volleyball teams of France, Lithuania and Czechia at the Beach Pro Tour events, following the support provided by the FIVB.

Meanwhile, President Dr Ary S. Graça F° shared some great examples of the CEV’s efforts to develop volleyball in Europe.

“In the CEV, since the introduction of the new EuroVolley format in 2019, with four National Federations co-organising the event, the number of hosts have increased! Now 19 National Federations have hosted at least one preliminary pool of a final round of the event.

“Additionally, the number of registered teams for EuroVolley has now been stable since 2015, despite the pandemic and financial crisis. Specifically, there are 38 teams for the men’s event and 35 teams for the women’s tournament.”

The FIVB President also provided an overview of the forthcoming highlights in the international volleyball and beach volleyball calendars, with the Volleyball Nations League, Olympic Qualification Tournaments and FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships scheduled for later this year.

Later today, the FIVB President will join the European Volleyball Family to witness the CEV Champions League Super Finals, featuring the all-Turkish women’s and all-Polish men’s final matches. VakifBank and Eczacibasi will go head-to-head for the women’s title while Grupa Azoty KĘDZIERZYN-KOŹLE and JASTRZEBSKI Wegiel will battle for the ultimate European men’s club volleyball glory.