Morocco welcomes world volleyball leaders

MARRAKESH, Morocco, May 2, 2017 – Members of the FIVB’s top two governing institutions outside of the Congress are arriving in Marrakesh, Morocco for the first FIVB Executive Committee and Board of Administration meetings which run from Wednesday through to Friday.

The FIVB Executive Committee meeting will take place Wednesday followed by the Board of Administration meeting on Thursday and Friday.

Key items on the agenda include a review of the federation’s progress and an assessment of its strategic plan for the years ahead as it aims to become the world’s number one family sport.

FIVB President Dr. Ary S. Graça F° said: "We are looking forward to a busy and important week in Marrakesh. The FIVB Executive Committee and Board of Administration meetings give us an opportunity to review the progress of our federation and agree the next steps to take our sport to the next level.

“We have made excellent progress but we know there is so much more potential for our sport which has not yet been realised. Our future has already begun and we must now take the right steps to help us achieve our vision of becoming the world’s number one family sport.”

Milestone Moment

The FIVB Board of Administration last met in December 2016, in what proved to be a watershed moment for the organisation, with several key decisions taken to influence the future direction of the sport.

Of note was the FIVB's move to regain full control of its media rights and to concentrate activities around content production and distribution, in conjunction with the confederations and national federations.

The Board of Administration also approved a series of procedural checks and balances, to ensure a higher level of transparency and financial control over the FIVB’s projects and investment while instituting significant changes to its working structures and practices.  

Coaches and Players More Involved

The Board of Administration also approved a new format for Commissions which now have no more than 10 members in total – a President, Secretary and eight members – to allow for easier dialogue within the Commission and the FIVB Secretariat. The Commissions lean on experts in the field for ideas and solutions although only members are allowed to vote on proposals put forward to the Executive Committee. 

The Commissions, which met at the beginning of the year in Lausanne, Switzerland, have also benefitted from the inclusion of a number of current and former coaches and players.

They include the legendary Karch Kiraly, the only player to have won Olympic gold medals in both volleyball and beach volleyball and China’s volleyball icon, Lang Ping who made history at Rio 2016 for winning gold as player and coach.

Joining them on the Technical and Coaching Commission is current coach of the Brazil’s women’s team, José Roberto ‘Ze Roberto’ Guimaraes, who has led his country to three Olympic gold medals and Italian Giovanni Guidetti, who has taken the Dutch women’s volleyball team to a silver medal in the 2015 European Championships and fourth in Rio.

The wealth of experience they bring to the table and the inclusion of ‘voices from the ground’ have gone a long way in ensuring that choices made at the international level are relevant and make an impact on the sport.

Brazilian volleyball star, Gilberto 'Giba' Amauri de Godoy Filho will attend the meetings in Marrakesh in his capacity as President of the Athletes' Commission, lending his experience and voice to discussions on player issues.