Bangkok, Thailand, March 8, 2025 – The short, but productive meeting of the AVC Development and Marketing Committee on Saturday highlighted key development initiatives and the National Federations’ commitment to sustainability and strategic growth of volleyball and beach volleyball in Asia.
It was a one-hour-and-a-half meeting conducted in a hybrid format, with the Committee Chairman Mr Seong Keehak from Korea, Secretary Mr Jitendra Bahadur Chand from Nepal and AVC Development Coordinator Ms Mingkwan Pusiddusid attending on site at the AVC Headquarters in Bangkok.
AVC President Mr Ramon Suzara, far left, AVC Secretary General Mr Hugh Graham, center, and Ms Mingkwan Pusiddusid
The AVC DMC also had a great honour of the presence of AVC President Mr Ramon Suzara and AVC Secretary General Mr Hugh Graham in the meeting.
Mr Reginald Christian Nelwan
Mr A.S. Nalaka
Mr Morteza Ghanber Afjehi
Joining the meeting on Zoom were Mr Reginald Christian Nelwan from Indonesia, Mr A.S. Nalaka from Sri Lanka, Mr Morteza Ghanber Afjehi from Iran, Mr Song Yue from China, Mr U Chong Hin from Macau, China and Mr Yang Wei-Chad from Chinese Taipei, while Mr Kiattipong Radchatagriengkai from Thailand was unable to attend as he is travelling to Korea for another scheduled appointment.
Mr U Chong Hin
Mr Song Yue
Mr Yang Wei-Chad
Following the Roll Call and self introduction which included some personal and professional background information of each member in the newly-appointed AVC DMC, AVC President Mr Ramon Suzara delivered a welcome speech to all participants and informed them that the name of the committee will be soon changed.
AVC President Mr Ramon Suzara
“It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to the first AVC Development Committee Meeting. Following the recent election, I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to the newly-appointed members and my first appreciation for your commitment to the growth and success of volleyball and beach volleyball in Asia. Your expertise and dedication are invaluable as we welcome a new cycle of key development initiatives for the beloved sport. The support and collaboration from all of you and National Federations have been instrumental in guiding AVC activities to go up and forward,” Mr Suzara was quoted as saying in his speech.
“I am confident that together, we continue to build this foundation to reach new heights. I encourage all of you to actively engage in our discussion today, share your insights from your own ideas to shape the future of our sport. Your input is also crucial, setting the directions and showing that we can continue to promote volleyball and beach volleyball across Asia. I would like to take this opportunity to thank each of you for the time, effort and dedication to the AVC’s mission, especially Mr Seong Keehak, Chairman of the AVC Development and Marketing Committee and Secretary Mr Jitendra Bahadur Chand for their effort to prepare the agenda and working file,” he added.
“Lastly, I would like to inform this committee that we are changing the name of the committee following the FIVB Structure. We will remove the word “Marketing”, so it should now become AVC Development Committee and this should be approved by the AVC Board of Administration Meeting in May. For the Marketing side, as we had the contract with Volleyball World and the Marketing name was separated from this committee and so, we will propose the development program according to AVC and FIVB Structures. Your contribution will be key to our success and I look forward to working closely with you in the years ahead, wishing you a productive and fruitful meeting as we are working Together as One for AVC to move it forward. Thank you,” the AVC President concluded.
Mr Seong Keehak
In his opening speech, the Committee Chairman Mr Seong Keehak spoke of the committee’s responsibility in shaping the future of volleyball in Asia and the importance of collaboration in achieving its goals.
“Asia is the largest of the world’s continents, but when it comes to the international competitiveness, it is not so high compared with Europe, NORCECA and Africa. I would like to urge the Asian countries to take advantage of the FIVB Empowerment Project including the Coaching Support Project in order that one day in the near future, Asian countries can achieve higher positions in the world volleyball,” he remarked.
In terms of the FIVB Empowerment, the AVC DMC Chairman needed the AVC affiliated National Federations to strengthen pathways for players, coaches and Federation development while ensuring the long-term growth in all aspects of volleyball. In 2024, he said, only 10 Asian countries had requested for 11 Coaching Support Projects, with 6 countries asking for 12 Knowledge Transfer Projects and 8 countries for 17 Volleyball Equipment Projects, totaling 24 countries and 40 projects, compared with CEV’s 25 countries for 40 Projects on Coaching Support, 12 countries for 18 Projects on Knowledge Transfer and 15 countries for 29 Projects on Volleyball Equipment.
AVC President Mr Suzara agreed with what Mr Seong Keehak had presented regarding the FIVB Empowering Projects. He encouraged the AVC National Federations to be more active in requesting for the FIVB Empowerment Projects, particularly the Coaching Support. At the same time, he said, the AVC Headquarters in Bangkok should follow up this to see how many National Federations have so far applied for Coaching Support.
Other key topics including the Volleyball Foundation, AVC Development Activities in 2024 and AVC Management Course Regulations had been raised for further discussion.
Regarding the Volleyball Foundation, Mr Seong explained that an individual and entity in Asian region countries can apply for support from Volleyball Foundation for their grassroots and/or mass volleyball program. He also raised India, Qatar and Thailand as good examples, with Brahmaputra Volleyball League and KISS Volleyball Foundation Festival being organised in India, Qatar hosting the WAVA U20 Beach Volleyball Championship and Mass Participation at VNL Finals in Thailand.
AVC DMC Chairman Mr Seong also reported on the AVC Management Course Regulations Edition 2025 he himself had drafted and reported to the meeting for further consideration, setting his sight on it to be next proposed to the AVC Board of Administration for decision.
Mr Jitendra Bahadur Chand
“The AVC Management Course is an educational program designed to strengthen the management capabilities of National Federation leaders and administrators across Asia. The course aims to equip participants with the necessary skills and knowledge in the strategic, organizational, and operational aspects of managing volleyball activities at the national level; with a focus on long-term sustainability and growth,” he explained.
AVC President Mr Suzara also asked the meeting to move forward with what Mr Seong had presented, adding that to fulfill the goals, a Management Seminar should be conducted to help small federations get more sponsorship. However, such a seminar requires good plans and preparations and should come up with guest speakers about sponsorship and the media relation.
“I would like to thank Mr Seong for making this proposal, which, I think, is very good and we need the AVC Board Members to approve this. However, Hong Kong is offering to host the first Management Seminar later this year and I suggest that each zone be represented in the seminar,” the AVC President insisted.
To ensure that all voices are heard in the Saturday’s meeting, each member of the AVC DMC was invited to share his/her knowledge, remarks and points of view ahead of the conclusion of the meeting.
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