The FIVB will host an Volleyball House for the first time ever
Lausanne, Switzerland, April 8, 2016 – The FIVB will provide an unprecedented volleyball and beach volleyball experience during the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
This is what FIVB President Dr. Ary S. Graça F° told the FIVB Board of Administration on Thursday.
“The FIVB has the opportunity of a lifetime with volleyball and beach volleyball set to be two of the most popular sports at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games,” Dr Graça said. “The global spotlight will be on both our disciplines and with Tokyo also taking place in four years’ time, this is the moment where we can show the world what volleyball is all about and drive the exciting future ahead of us.”
With volleyball taking place at the renowned Maracanazinho stadium and beach volleyball on the famous Copacabana beach, tickets sales for both disciplines have topped Rio 2016 organisers’ lists. But the FIVB is planning to bring even a greater experience for volleyball fans during Olympic Games time with additional actions such as a dedicated Volleyball House, a renewed focus on new technology and innovation, development activities and social legacy, and sport presentation and engagement.
The Volleyball House will be a dedicated venue, on Copacabana beach, where guests can live the FIVB dream and sample the best of volleyball. The FIVB has invested in refurbishing a school in Rio to provide hospitality, volleyball info and content plus meeting rooms during Games time plus an upgraded school for the children of Rio once the Games are over. The likes of Olympic and FIVB family members, Brazilian ministers, mayors, government officials, bidding cities/potential bidders/future event organisers, FIVB Partners, broadcasters/media and media buyers/advertising agencies will all be frequenting the FIVB Volleyball House.
Meanwhile, the technology projects in store for Rio include a video challenge system for volleyball and beach volleyball, 360° virtual reality filming, electronic scoreboards and scoresheets, coaches tablets and wireless headsets for referees.
The development/social sport legacy activities will include Volleyball Festivals involving more than 4,000 children, Viva Volei/Volleyball Your Way “from Rio to Tokyo” centres, which will focus on allowing children to play volleyball whenever they like during the Olympics, additional beach volleyball courts at the Athletes’ Village for athletes, Deodoro for spectators and Copacabana for fans.
Sport presentation will include all activities within the venues not directly impacting game play such as player presentation, fan entertainment, broadcast presentation, DJ and PA announcer choreography in order to enhance the game and celebrate the best moments. The overall aim will be to set volleyball and beach volleyball on the road to its goal to be the No 1 Family Sport Entertainment.