Pan American Volleyball Union holds important meeting in Asunción, Paraguay

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, October 8, 2024.- During the 62nd General Assembly of Panam Sports, held on October 2 and 3 in Asunción, Paraguay, the Pan American Volleyball Union (UPV) conducted an important session to discuss key issues concerning the development of volleyball in the Americas.

The session was attended by the President of the UPV, Cristóbal Marte Hoffiz, and UPV Vice President Marco Tullio Teixeira, along with FIVB Treasurer Roberto Escobar and UPV Director General Arateide Cáceres.

One of the main points discussed was the planning for the second edition of the Junior Pan American Games Asunción 2025, a crucial event for the development of young talent in both indoor and beach volleyball.

The event will provide new generations of athletes with the opportunity to compete on an international stage, aligning with the efforts of the regional federations from the North, Central America, and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) and the South American Volleyball Confederation (CSV) to promote the sport in their respective countries.

Regarding indoor volleyball, it was confirmed that the competition will feature eight teams per gender, equally divided between NORCECA and CSV (4 teams per gender from each confederation). This ensures fair representation of both regions, giving the teams a high-level competitive platform.

NORCECA teams qualified for the Junior Pan American Games for indoor volleyball are the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Cuba, and Costa Rica in women, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Guatemala in the men’s division.

Another highlight of the session was the progress in discussions to secure broader participation for beach volleyball in the Junior Pan American Games. The proposal aims to increase the number of teams to 16 per gender, representing significant growth for the sport. Of these 16 teams, equally divided between NORCECA and CSV (8 teams per gender from each confederation).

This expansion in the number of teams will allow more countries to compete in beach volleyball, fostering its development in more territories across the Americas.

NORCECA teams that will compete in beach volleyball will be determined based on the final ranking of three stops in the NORCECA Under-23 Tour (Punta Cana 2023, Juan Dolio 2023, and Punta Cana 2024).

Finally, the review of the infrastructure for these sporting events was addressed. Emphasis was placed on the need to ensure top-quality facilities that meet international standards, thereby guaranteeing that athletes can compete in optimal conditions and that both indoor and beach volleyball events run smoothly.