News - Page 61 of 133

CEV President attends ground-breaking ceremony of National Volleyball Training Centre in Belgrade

by Press 07/06/2023

written by Press

Serbia’s Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, Zoran Gajić, Minister of Sports, Ana Bjelica, team captain of the senior women’s national team, and Bogdan Tomašević, member of the Serbian pre-youth national team, have laid the foundation stone and ceremoniously opened the construction works for the National Volleyball Training Centre in Belgrade.

The ceremony was attended by Marko Blagojević, Minister of Public Investments, Aleksandar Šapić, Lord Mayor of Belgrade, Fabio Azevedo, FIVB General Director, Steve Tutton, FIVB Technical Director, Aleksandar Boričić, CEV President, Gyula Mester, President of the Volleyball Federation of Serbia, Ivan Knežević, Secretary General of the Volleyball Federation of Serbia, and members of the women’s senior and men’s pre-youth national teams of Serbia.

The delegation of the Ministry of Sports, led by Minister Zoran Gajić, included Marko Kešelj, State Secretary for Sports, Dejan Bojović, Special Advisor to the Minister of Sports, and Jovan Knežević, Chief of Staff in the Ministry of Sports.

Bojan Kekić, President of the Executive Board at Banka Poštanska Štedionica (Postal Savings Bank), led the delegation of the general sponsor of the Volleyball Federation of Serbia, which included Nataša Marković, Brankica Tintor, and Aleksandar Čortan, all members of the Executive Board.

The delegation of the Volleyball Federation of Serbia consisted of Vesna Djurisic, Vice-President, Petar Bogunović, Vice-President, Dragutin Ćuk, Technical Director, Danilo Mrdja, Competition Director, Dusko Nikolic, President of the Association of Volleyball Coaches, and Goran Gradinski, President of the Association of Volleyball Referees.

The ceremony was attended also by Bozidar Maljkovic, President of the Serbian Olympic Committee, Djordje Visacki, Secretary General of the Serbian Olympic Committee, Zarko Zecevic, Vice-President of the Serbian Olympic Committee, Milutin Popović, President of the Volleyball Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Frane Zanic, President of the Croatian Volleyball Federation, Valentina Bifflin, Secretary General of the Croatian Volleyball Federation, Dane Basta, Regional Secretary for Sports and Youth, Goran Marinkovic, Secretary General of the Sports Association of Serbia, Slobodan Milosevic, long-time Secretary General of the Volleyball Federation of Serbia, as well as delegates of the Volleyball Federation of Serbia General Assembly and representatives of Serbian volleyball clubs.

Zoran Gajić, Minister of Sports in the Serbian Government, announced that the completion of the construction works of the National Volleyball Training Centre is scheduled for May 2025.

This is what the National Volleyball Training Centre will be looking like once completed in May 2025

“I think this is a historic day for us, and a dream come true for all generations of volleyball players. Our teams will have optimal conditions to prepare well and hopefully win many more medals in the future. This is a big deal also for our federation, because we will get top-level infrastructure in one place. I want to thank our Government and the President of the Republic of Serbia who helped us in turning this idea into reality. This is a great motivation for all of us to bring even more energy into our work,” saidGyula Mester, President of the Volleyball Federation of Serbia.

“All members of the Serbian volleyball community are very happy today. This was a long-lasting dream for us, and now it is reality. New generations of players will have great conditions to prepare and work, but I need to point out that even before, when we did not have such ideal circumstances, we managed to achieve some great results. So, the management of the Volleyball Federation of Serbia and coaches will have to work hard and change a lot of things to better the previous results. We know that you cannot do much better than to win the World Championship, but we must keep these excellent results coming,” stated CEV President Aleksandar Boričić.

“I want to thank everyone for having me here. For us this is a historic day. We are fighting for our athletes and their conditions all the time. This centre of excellence that the Serbian Government is constructing here, for Serbian athletes and for Volleyball in Serbia, this is remarkable, that is amazing. I am sure that this will be one of the greatest projects ever. CEV President Aleksandar Boričić, who has been involved in Volleyball for many decades, said to me that this is the dream of his generation. I agree and understand. This is the dream of athletes in Serbia coming true. I believe that the future is bright. I wish Serbia all the best and I am offering our partnership to contribute to this wonderful cause,” said Fabio Azevedo, FIVB General Director.

07/06/2023 0 comments

School Project expands its reach in North Macedonia

by Press 07/06/2023

written by Press

This past month, the Volleyball Federation of North Macedonia delivered volleyball lessons at two elementary schools, OU Kiro Gligorov and OU Hristijan Todorovski Karposh in the country’s capital, Skopje, as they continue to inspire youngsters to play the game with the help of the CEV School Project ‘Play Volleyball – Grow with it’. Some 20 young girls, aged seven to 11, joined in the classes.

The clinic was guided by Emilia Janicic, a professor of physical education and coach and Mirjana Stefanovska, also a coach. They introduced the kids to some key, basic elements such as passing the ball with fingers and reception, coordination exercises, and other drills.

A similar volleyball class was delivered in the city of Shtip on May 31 at the sports hall of the OU Dimitar Vlahov school under the guidance of Kristina Maneva, a volleyball coach who has been working with the younger age categories. The class was attended by more than 30 children, who performed exercises with a partner, such as passing the ball, and other basic elements in Volleyball. The project in the city of Shtip started not too long ago, but it is making excellent progress and raising much interest among the young population, which is especially rewarding and encouraging.

For the fast-approaching end of the school year, the Volleyball Federation of North Macedonia has made plans to organise a closing event to mark this year as a successful one.

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Bosnia & Herzegovina Main

Star players join final School Project events in Bosnia and Herzegovina

by Press 07/06/2023

written by Press

The Volleyball Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina finalised in May their activities scheduled for this school year in conjunction with the CEV School Project ‘Play Volleyball – Grow with it’. Star players from the women’s senior national team, namely Anđelka Radišković, Milica Ivković, Dajana Bošković, and Ajla Paradžik attended the three last events run by the Federation in May.

It was a true Volleyball festival, with many happy faces, and youngsters playing their favourite game together with their idols. Kids of all grades from as many as 22 schools involved in the project this year came together for the three major events held in Sarajevo, Ilijaš, and Kakanj.

The Volleyball Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina managed to gather almost 600 young boys and girls with the programme of these events including educational, motivational speeches delivered by the head coach of the national team, Stevan Ljubičić and star players as well.

Further such events shall be taking place in future too. The next step is the delivery of summer festivals in five major cities across the Balkan country.

07/06/2023 0 comments

Main Montenegro

Final stage of record-breaking EKO Mini Volleyball league held in Podgorica

by Press 06/06/2023

written by Press

On Saturday, June 3, in a fantastic atmosphere both in the stands as well as on the court equipped with Gerflor flooring, the sixth season of the EKO Mini Volleyball league – the largest youth Volleyball competition in Montenegro – ended at Verde sports complex in Podgorica. The league is organised in conjunction with the CEV School Project ‘Play Volleyball – Grow with it’, with the Volleyball Federation of Montenegro among the many national organisations that have joined the CEV-run programme.

This year’s EKO Mini Volleyball league has broken all previous records. In the sixth season, 419 matches were played over 13 weekends, with the participation of 826 children and a remarkable 68 teams from 19 volleyball clubs from all over Montenegro.

The project designed for children aged 9 to 13 is run by the Volleyball Federation of Montenegro, sponsored by Jugopetrol AD company, and supported by the European Volleyball Confederation (CEV), the Ministry of Sports and Youth, the Montenegrin Olympic Committee, and the Capital City of Podgorica. The goal of the project is to promote and popularise Volleyball in Montenegro.

After the matches played by the youngest participants, who had the opportunity to experience the joy of performing on a special volleyball surface for the first time thanks to the work done by the Volleyball Federation of Montenegro, a medal ceremony followed.

Cvetko Pajković, the President of the Volleyball Federation of Montenegro, presented medals to the teams Gimnazijalac and Neta. Vassilis Makris, the Director of Retail at Jugopetrol, presented medals to the teams Libero from Petrovac and Gorštak.

Tatjana Bokan, the long-time captain of the Montenegrin women’s national team and a double champion in the Montenegrin domestic competitions with the team of OK HERCEG NOVI, awarded medals to the teams Barbana and Ivangrad 2011. Nikoleta Perović, a volleyball player from the Italian team Consolini and the Montenegrin national team, presented medals to the teams from Nikšić and Libero from Cetinje. Milorad Krunić, the head coach of the Montenegrin women’s national team, awarded medals to the teams Mrkojevići, Galeb Liko Soho Group, and Budva.

Melisa Cenović, the current captain of the Montenegrin women’s senior national team, presented medals to the teams Albatros and Budućnost Volley. Katarina Budrak, a member of the national team as well, awarded medals to the teams Morača, Lovćen, and Tempo. Dijana Vuković, the opposite of the Montenegrin women’s national team, presented medals to the teams Akademija and Mediteran.

06/06/2023 0 comments