Historic Day for Volleyball as Women set to lead AVC and CAVB
LAUSANNE, Switzerland, October 29, 2020 – History was made this
week as Morocco’s Bouchra Hajij and Indonesia’s Rita Subowo
became the first-ever women to lead the African and Asian
Continental Confederations respectively.
Both Bouchra Hajij and Rita Subowo, who are also FIVB Executive
Vice-Presidents, have showcased their dedication to developing
volleyball worldwide throughout their careers. Hajij, a former
Morocco women’s national volleyball team player from 1986 to
2002, has led the Royal Moroccan Volleyball Federation since
2014 and served as a CAVB Executive Board Member since 2015.
In addition, since 2015, she has been a member of the
International Olympic Committee (IOC) Culture and Olympic
Heritage Commission, and also joined the Association of National
Olympic Committees of Africa’s (ANOCA) Gender Equality
Commission earlier this year. During yesterday’s CAVB Electoral
Congress, Hajij convincingly won the Presidential election,
earning 77.78 per cent of the votes from CAVB’s 54 National
Federations.
“I am delighted to be able to lead our Continental
Confederation, and I am committed to ensuring the ongoing
development of volleyball in our region with the FIVB’s support.
To become the first-ever female President of the CAVB is a
wonderful achievement and a sure sign of the incredible progress
that has already been made in regards to gender equality within
our sport,” said CAVB President Bouchra Hajij.
The AVC’s newly elected President, Rita Subowo, previously led
the National Volleyball Federation of Indonesia, and has served
as an AVC Executive Vice-President since 2015. Outside of
volleyball, Subowo served as the Indonesian Olympic Committee
President and an IOC Member from 2007 to 2015. She is also an
integral member of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and was
named an OCA Honorary Vice-President in 2019.
Following her election as AVC President by acclamation, Rita
Subowo said:
“The trust that the AVC’s National Federations have bestowed
upon me is incredible and gives me confidence. I know that,
united, the AVC will be unstoppable in its mission to grow
volleyball across Asia so that more and more people can enjoy
our sport. Volleyball is my life, and I will continue to
dedicate my life to this sport.”
On this historic milestone, FIVB President Dr Ary S. Graça F°
said:
“I am honoured to welcome our first-ever female Continental
Confederation Presidents to the global Volleyball Family.
Volleyball is a gender balanced sport by nature, and the FIVB is
committed to ensuring that women are represented both on and off
the field of play. This marks an incredible milestone of
progress, not only within our beloved sport, but also in the
wider global sports community.
“Both Mrs Hajij and Mrs Subowo have extensive experience within
volleyball and sports administration, and I have no doubt that
they will further both gender equality in sport and the
development of volleyball worldwide.”
The FIVB is committed to creating a level playing field for both
women and men, whether on the court or within the governance of
the organisation. For example, the Volleyball Nations League (VNL),
which debuted in 2018, offers equal prize money for both genders
with the number of matches and the event format also the same. |