Lausanne, Switzerland, April 14, 2015 - Participants from 24 countries were in Lausanne this week as the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) held a two-day seminar for the top two categories of beach volleyball officials. The annual special seminar was held on the eve of the 2015 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour which launches next Tuesday in China at the FIVB Fuzhou Open. The seminar was conducted for FIVB Beach Volleyball Technical Supervisors and FIVB Beach Volleyball Referee Delegates.
SEMINAR LEADERS
Under the direction of Portugal’s Vicente Goncalves de Araujo, the President of the FIVB Beach Volleyball Commission who is also a member of the FIVB Board of Administration along with FIVB Beach Volleyball Events Director Angelo Sequeo and members of his staff from the FIVB Beach Volleyball Department, visiting Lausanne were FIVB Beach Volleyball Technical Supervisors and FIVB Referee Delegates from around the world. Present were representative of each of the five FIVB Confederations that help govern both Volleyball and Beach Volleyball.
Among the other individuals overseeing the seminar was Portugal’s Jose Casanova, the FIVB Beach Volleyball Referee Commissioner and member of the FIVB BVB Refereeing Commission member.
SEMINAR SUMMARY
“The FIVB is about to launch a massive 2015 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour which includes several innovative and unique aspects and this seminar was of paramount importance to all of us who are responsible for overseeing and executing tournaments of the highest caliber,” commented Araujo. “These meetings will be a great springboard into what will certainly become one of the most memorable years in the history of FIVB Beach Volleyball.”
SEMINAR DETAILS
In addition to two joint sessions, the participants also worked in separate breakout sessions with materials specific to the primary responsibilities of their respective positions on the FIVB World Tour.
With significant emphasis on the role of the FIVB Technical Supervisor and the role of the FIVB Referee Delegate, the final join session included detailed reports on the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and qualification process along with the Beach Volleyball Continental Cup which is part of the Olympic qualifying protocols.
Highlights of the FIVB Technical Supervisor breakout session included the logistical details of event execution, player protocols and guidelines, FIVB Marketing and Branding, FIVB TV Production and Broadcasting, FIVB Media Operations, FIVB Event Master Plan.
Special specific time was also allocated for in depth overview and details of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships the Netherlands 2015. This year’s bi-annual FIVB World Championships will be held for the first time in the Netherlands, June 26-July 5 and for the first time in FIVB history will be held in multiple cities. The Hague will anchor the event and host the semifinals and medal matches in each gender. Also hosting three rounds of round robin pool play and the first two rounds of elimination will be the Dutch cities of Amsterdam, Apeldoorn and Rotterdam.
Among the key breakout topics discussed by the FIVB Referee Delegates were guidelines for the implementation of the Official Beach Volleyball Rules 2015-2016, a presentation of the new E-scoresheet that will be incorporated into FIVB World Tour events and an elaborate presentation on the FIVB BVB Information System (BVCS) by FIVB IT Director Alberto Rigamonti.
2015 FIVB WORLD TOUR
With
seven significant events played prior to June 26, starting April 21 in
China and ending in mid-December, the 2015 FIVB Beach Volleyball World
Tour calendar will include five FIVB Grand Slams, the new FIVB Swatch
Major Series of three events, six FIVB Opens and a special Swatch FIVB
World Tour Season Final in the United States. The showcase event will be
the $1 million 2015 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in the
Netherlands.