Global Volleyball Family celebrates Dr Ary S. Graça Fᵒ’s legacy of innovation and opportunity at World Congress

November 15, 2024.- The 39th FIVB World Congress today celebrated the remarkable progress made during FIVB President Dr Ary Graça’s 12-year mandate and the lasting legacy of innovation and opportunity he has given the global Volleyball Family.

During Dr Ary Graça’s presidency, the world witnessed the global transformation of volleyball. Although his time at the helm of the FIVB will conclude in Porto, Portugal, Dr Ary Graça will continue to serve the sport he loves as the leader of the recently launched FIVB Volleyball Foundation.

In his final presidential report to the global Volleyball Family in Porto, Dr Ary Graça said: “It has been the greatest privilege of my life to serve you over the past 12 years. Thank you for trusting me to guide our Volleyball Family. It has been an honour that words cannot express!”

He added: “Volleyball will soon enter a new chapter. It is a bright future ready to be written, a dream ready to be fulfilled. So choose to see the opportunities, not obstacles. Choose to believe. And choose to look forward with hope, ambition and courage!”

During Dr Ary Graça’s presidency, the FIVB’s total development support surged by a remarkable 442%, reflecting his clear vision to empower National Federations and ensure the money from the sport is reinvested back into the sport. This commitment saw the introduction of the groundbreaking FIVB Volleyball Empowerment and Development programmes through which over USD 38 million has been invested into 1,169 projects across 201 countries since 2017.

Among his landmark achievements include the creation of Volleyball World in 2021, which has driven even further commercial growth and visibility for the sport. Between 2023 and 2024 alone, the organization’s sponsorship deals experienced a 58% growth. In addition, Volleyball TV, the OTT platform launched in 2018, recently surpassed 1.5 million members.

Pioneering innovations such as the Volleyball Nations League (VNL), created in 2018, and sports presentation across all major events, have taken the sport to a whole new level, while the introduction of technologies like the Challenge System have ensured fairness on the court while enhancing the spectator experience.

Meanwhile, transparency, credibility and good governance have been at the heart of the FIVB’s transformation. These efforts have been recognized by the ASOIF Review of International Federation Governance, with the FIVB having climbed 95 points since the initial review in 2016-2017. The creation of the FIVB Athletes’ Commission in 2016 has allowed the FIVB to ensure the athlete voice is at the core of its governance of the sport.

All of this remarkable progress has allowed the sport to consistently shine on the biggest of stages – the Olympic Games. At Rio 2016, volleyball and beach volleyball combined were the most watched sports at the Games, generating 2.6 billion viewer hours globally (IOC Data Report). Most recently, at Paris 2024, the sports took the world by storm, with beach volleyball held at the most iconic venue of the Games and volleyball witnessing sold-out sessions.

These incredible achievements and much more have been captured in a book gifted to all delegates titled “Elevating Global Volleyball: A Legacy of Opportunity and Innovation”, co-authored by Dr Ary Graça and award-winning sports journalist Steve Wilson.