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LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Juanury 20, 2022 - For
someone like Joshua Binstock who has been
playing high-level beach volleyball for many
years and has taken part in two Olympic Games
while pursuing his academic and professional
path as a chiropractor, it is perhaps
unsurprising that, as an elected member of the
FIVB Athletes’ Commission, he is putting a
particular emphasis on the health and safety of
athletes.
In the first-ever FIVB Athletes’ Commission
elections held in January 2021, Toronto-born
Josh Binstock, who turned 41 a week ago,
received the highest number of votes in the
Beach Volleyball Men category.
"It means a lot to me as it presents a great
opportunity to continue my ongoing promotion and
exposure of volleyball at a national,
continental and now global scale. I plan to
promote the values of volleyball and beach
volleyball as a clean and fair sport, while
advocating for the improvement of athletes'
conditions. As a Doctor of Chiropractic, I will
also be focused on studying proposals for the
athletes' post-career opportunities, all while
keeping their health and safety at the
forefront," Binstock told volleyball.ca before
starting his first term as a Commission member.
Binstock started playing indoor volleyball at
the age of 17 and eventually made the Canadian
junior national team. While earning his Bachelor
of Health and Physical Education college degree,
he competed for the University of Toronto
Varsity Blues and switched to beach volleyball
during the off-season.
Binstock made his first international appearance
in 2003 when he played at four FIVB Beach
Volleyball World Tour events in Europe with
Brian Hiebert, but did not return to the
international sand courts until three years
later, when he earned his first podiums at three
FIVB Satellite tournaments – bronze in
Casablanca and Lausanne, followed by silver in
Vaduz – with Christian Redmann as a partner. The
following year he added another Vaduz Satellite
bronze to his collection, playing with Jason
Kruger.
In 2009, the 1.96m-tall Canadian started
competing regularly on the NORCECA Beach
Volleyball Circuit piling up two gold, five
silver and four bronze medals in the 15
continental events he played through 2017.
Binstock qualified for two editions of the
Olympic Games. He partnered with Martin Reader
at London 2012 and with Sam Schachter at Rio
2016.
It was Binstock’s partnership with Schachter
that produced the most successful period of his
athletic career. In 2014, he triumphed with his
first World Tour podium, a Parana Open gold, and
went on to add three more silver medals to his
collection – at the 2014 Doha Open, the 2015
Porec Major and the 2016 Cincinnati Open.
That partnership also produced four gold medals
in USA’s National Volleyball League, where
Binstock was named the Most Valuable Player of
2014, and an eighth place at the 2015 Pan
American Games.
Binstock has also won several national titles in
Canada and represented his country three times
at the Maccabiah Games, including the 2013
edition when he served as Canada’s flag bearer,
and the 2017 edition when he and Schachter
claimed gold in beach volleyball.
While touring the world as a beach player, Josh
Binstock managed to earn his Doctorate of
Chiropractic at the Canadian Memorial
Chiropractic College graduating in 2009 to
launch a new career in health, wellness and
recovery. |
