LVF President Walid El Kassouf is proud of his country’s achievements with support from the FIVB
The Lebanon Volleyball Federation (LVF) has found the Volleyball Empowerment coach support extremely beneficial and is committed to leveraging this support for the advancement of its national teams by extending its contract with coach Johnny Lakis for another year, until the end of April 2024.
With the help of Volleyball Empowerment support, totalling CHF 86,000, Lebanon has achieved significant milestones. Notably, they have secured the services of a diligent coach who is dedicated to the future of volleyball in Lebanon and developing the next generation of Lebanese volleyball players.
Coach Johnny Lakis briefing the team during time-out
The Volleyball Empowerment programme, which aims to help national teams worldwide reach their full potential, enabled the LVF to hire the experienced specialist Johnny Lakis as a full-time head coach in the spring of 2022. He has been working with the men’s U19 and women’s national teams in Lebanon to help them achieve better results at international competitions.
The LVF has since witnessed a series of positive results, including the men’s U19 national team ranking fourth in the West Asia U19 Championship in Saudi Arabia last year, and the women’s national team taking first place in the West Asia Championship after winning seven consecutive games at last November’s tournament in Jordan.
Lebanese women’s national team celebrate as West Asian champions in 2022
“Participating in these events and achieving great results have reflected positively on Lebanese volleyball as we have witnessed the increased interest and enthusiasm of the younger generation wanting to be part of volleyball academies across the country,” said LVF President Walid El Kassouf.
“Moreover, the advancement in the uptake of volleyball has been thoroughly followed by the local Lebanese population, especially since volleyball was extremely popular in Lebanon prior to the 1975 Civil War. Thus, volleyball, to a large portion of Lebanese citizens, is considered a part of their heritage and culture, especially in villages, where, wherever you would go in the past, you would find a volleyball court.”
Over the past several months, the LVF has been able to establish various volleyball academies, as well as six training centre facilities for players born between 2005 and 2008. Furthermore, four more facilities for female players of the same age category were inaugurated in May 2023.
Coach Johnny Lakis during practice with the Lebanese U19 men’s national team
Also in May, the LVF organised a volleyball festival for U19 players. This involved 12 teams competing at the Kawthar Centre in Beirut, which includes four indoor volleyball courts. This tournament served as a platform to monitor and evaluate the players’ development. It also provided a valuable opportunity to identify and select exceptional talents for the U19 national team that will participate in two upcoming tournaments, the Arab U19 Championship and the West Asia U19 Championship.
The assistance of the FIVB, both morally and financially, through providing support for a full-time youth national team coach, has facilitated the finalisation of a deal with a broadcasting company to supply live coverage of all games and competitions organised by the LVF. The most notable competition is the men’s first division championship, in which three to six games per week take place.
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