Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 17, 2016 - It’s already one of the coolest sports at the Olympic Games and today volleyball got even cooler as the FIVB signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Chaka 2, the agency responsible for creating and organising the Snow Volleyball Tour.
The MoU, which was signed at the FIVB Volleyball House on Copacabana, emphasises the FIVB’s commitment to spreading volleyball’s values around the world. As part of the agreement, both parties agree to work together to develop snow volleyball for the benefit of youth around the world and to position volleyball as the number one family sport entertainment in the world.
FIVB President Dr. Ary Graça said: “Snow volleyball is an exciting variation of the sport which is rapidly attracting the attention of athletes, fans and sponsors alike and reinforces the global appeal of volleyball as a universally accessible sport that can be played in both summer and winter environments.
At the FIVB, much of our work is underpinned by our core principles of innovation, universality and good governance which are epitomized in this new discipline. We are committed to creating new opportunities for athletes and inspiring people around the world to take up volleyball and play the game in all different formats and locations. This new discipline reinforces the inclusiveness of volleyball and its adaptability to environments, resources and cultures and is example of the values promoted in our VolleyballYourWay campaign.”
Snow volleyball first came to prominence in the town of Wagrain, Austria in 2008. It was acknowledged as an official sport by the Austrian Volleyball Association in 2011 and since then, it has rapidly expanded in both size and popularity.
This year, the European Volleyball Federation (CEV) organised the first ever snow volleyball European Tour.
This followed on from snow volleyball’s presentation at the XXXVI CEV General Assembly in Sofia, Bulgaria in October 2015 where the continental confederation recognised the potential of this new attractive discipline and decided to add it to its portfolio of organised competitions alongside volleyball and beach volleyball.