Lausanne, Switzerland, April 6, 2016 – FIVB President Dr. Ary S. Graça F° will stand unopposed for re-election to the FIVB presidency at the 35th FIVB World Congress in Argentina in October; as the volleyball world unites in their support of the President and his pioneering vision to make volleyball the number one family entertainment sport in the world.

All five FIVB Continental Confederations have previously unanimously supported the candidacy of Dr. Graça, recognising the outstanding work and unprecedented progress made under his visionary leadership since his election in 2012. Dr. Graça will look to build on this positive momentum during a second term as FIVB President for the period 2016– 2024. The FIVB Board of Administration approved on Wednesday the sole candidature of President Graça for the October 5 election after the deadline for candidatures passed on Monday, April 4, 2016 without any other candidates coming forward.

FIVB President Dr. Ary S. Graça F° said: “It is an honour to be the president of the largest International Federation in the world and it is incredibly humbling to receive this vote of confidence. I am looking forward to having an opportunity to build on the FIVB’s rapid development as we work together to make volleyball the number one family entertainment sport in the world.”

Dr. Graça, who was elected president at the FIVB World Congress in Anaheim, USA in 2012, has helped transform volleyball into an engaging, dynamic and universal sport for all. His administration of the sport has been underpinned by the FIVB’s core values of innovation, universality and good governance.  

Innovation is a key part of the FIVB’s vision as it looks to create a dynamic and engaging sport which appeals to the entire family. Over the last four years, Dr. Graça has overseen technological advancements to the organisation of FIVB events which have modernised volleyball and seen the FIVB embrace the latest cutting edge sports technology such as the Challenge System, which has become a regular feature at top level FIVB events. 

Under his leadership, the sport has also experienced unparalleled worldwide growth.  He has created opportunities for more countries to take part in higher level events and the global expansion of tournaments has introduced the sport to new audiences around the world. The 2016 FIVB Volleyball World League and FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix will include a record 36 and 28 teams respectively while one of the beach volleyball qualification processes for the Olympic Games – the Continental Cup – will feature an unprecedented 169 nations. 

Dr. Graça has also implemented measures to enhance the governance of the federation, including improvements made to financial operations, as it strives to operate under the highest standards of transparency.  And in September last year he launched the FIVB’s 9 Goals which set out the federation’s long-term strategic plan developed to help direct the future work of the federation and ensure that it realises its vision of becoming the number one family entertainment sport in the world.