After 76 years of growing the sport worldwide, an even brighter future lies ahead for volleyball
As the FIVB celebrates its 76th anniversary today, FIVB.com takes a moment to reflect on the incredible journey of the global governing body of volleyball since its establishment in 1947.
Volleyball has come a long way from its humble beginnings to becoming one of the world’s most popular sports. The FIVB was founded by representatives from 14 countries with the aim of promoting and developing volleyball across the globe. In the decades that followed, the FIVB has accomplished that goal and more. The first World Championships were organised in 1949 for men and 1952 for women, and volleyball was added to the Olympic Games programme not long after at Tokyo 1964.
Beach volleyball made its Olympic debut 32 years later at the Atlanta Games in 1996 and has remained a fan favourite at every edition since. Today, the FIVB has 222 National Federations and volleyball is played and enjoyed by hundreds of millions of people around the world. It is consistently among the most-watched sports at the Olympic Games.
Under the leadership of FIVB President Dr Ary S. Graça F°, who took the helm in 2012, the FIVB has become a truly dynamic and modern organisation fit for the future. Innovation and opportunity have stood as key pillars of the FIVB President’s mandate in a time where the sport continues to go from strength to strength.
A new standard of sports presentation was introduced at the FIVB Volleyball World Championship 2014 to a crowd of 62,000 people at the opening match. It has since become a hallmark of volleyball and beach volleyball events, with DJs, announcers, lighting, giant video screens and sound systems having transformed the live sport viewing experience.
So much so, that the FIVB captured the attention of countless fans at the Olympic Games Rio 2016 as the only International Federation to invest its own money into presentation elements for its sports. The investment paid off with 99.9 per cent of available tickets for volleyball and beach volleyball sold, and both sports combining to be the most watched sports in terms of viewer hours (IOC Data Report). The Challenge System was also introduced at Rio 2016, to ensure fair competition while providing an even more engaging experience for fans.
In 2018, innovation came in the form of the young, dynamic discipline of snow volleyball. Having begun with localised events first organised in Europe, it has…
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