FIVB, Volleyball Foundation & KIIT-KISS strengthen

partnership to empower youth through volleyball 

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, April 29, 2025.- FIVB President Fabio Azevedo and the FIVB Volleyball Foundation President Dr Ary Graça met with representatives from the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) and the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS). Their meeting aimed to further deepen their growing collaboration aimed at transforming lives through volleyball and education. 

The KIIT and KISS delegation was led by Dr Achyuta Samanta, Founder of KIIT and KISS, and Dr Varun Suthra, the universities’ Director of International Relations. 

During the meeting, both parties discussed a wide range of exciting initiatives, including further collaboration opportunities through volleyball events, expanded coach education opportunities and beach volleyball coaching support for the universities. Discussions also included a prospective FIVB visit to a KIIT-KISS Centre of Excellence, scholarship opportunities for talented athletes and joint celebrations for World Volleyball Day, which was recently confirmed by the FIVB Executive Board as 7 July.  

This meeting builds upon the landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in October 2024 between the FIVB Volleyball Foundation, KIIT and KISS. The agreement marked a new chapter in the organization’s shared mission to drive youth participation in volleyball and open pathways for education, empowerment and development through sport. 

The strength of this partnership was demonstrated during the KISS Volleyball Foundation Festival in Bhubaneswar, India, in October 2024 which set a Guinness World Record for the most players in a volleyball exhibition match, bringing together 430 participants. The festival welcomed more than 40,000 children, including 5,000 young volleyball players, in a powerful celebration of the sport’s ability to unite and inspire. 

Through the FIVB’s Strategic Vision 2032, the FIVB is committed to creating more opportunities for young people through volleyball, and the collaboration with KIIT and KISS helps to make volleyball more accessible, impactful and a force for positive societal change worldwide.