FIVB President urges NF to take advantage of opportunities

Tijuana, Mexico, November 1, 2013 – FIVB President Dr. Ary Graça exhorted all NORCECA National Federations Category I and II to take advantage of the opportunities being offered by the confederation and FIVB to develop volleyball and beach volleyball in their respective countries and urged them to seek also for assistance from local governments and private corporations.

“Opportunity is a key word,” Dr. Graça said during his welcoming speech to the participants in a Seminar of Development and Sport Management prior to the XXII NORCECA Congress to be held on November 2-3.

He pointed out the case of his native country Brazil “who is a very rich country but also a very poor country.”

“We have given the opportunity to play volleyball through different programs and we have had success in those poor and remote areas like the Amazonia,” he said. “You just need to work harder and harder.”

“We had more than 140 countries taking part in the continental cups towards the Olympic Games and beach volleyball was the most appealing sport in London.”

The FIVB President said that beach volleyball will be the main attraction during the next Olympics in Rio de Janeiro 2016.

“We are going to have an even bigger number of countries taking part in the qualification process and that translates into development, participation and opportunities,” he said.

Dr. Graça wished all them a productive seminar and thanked all the NF delegates for their continuous efforts to spread the sport of volleyball and beach volleyball in the region of NORCECA.

Then, Cristobal Marte Hoffiz, President of NORCECA made a complete report on the qualification process within NORCECA towards Rio de Janeiro, one that will be put forward starting in 2014.

Marte Hoffiz said to be very grateful to FIVB and its President “for all the support and the provision of funds to put in practice all the development plans and the organization of the tournaments towards Rio de Janeiro”.