FIVB and CEV Launch Snow Volleyball Night in PyeongChang

Lausanne, Switzerland, and Luxembourg, January 31, 2018 – The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and European Volleyball Confederation (CEV) will showcase the sport of Snow Volleyball in PyeongChang, South Korea by hosting Snow Volleyball Night on February 14, 2018 at the Austria House.

Snow Volleyball is a fresh new team game that makes volleyball a truly 360-degree sport. Snow Volleyball Night will feature an exhibition match including some of the world’s greatest stars from both volleyball and beach volleyball, as well as an opportunity to find out more about the sport and its plans for the future.

The exhibition match, which begins at 16.00 local time, will include a number of Olympians, including three-time Olympic medallist and three-time world champion Giba, and two-time Olympic medallist Vladimir Grbić. From the sport of beach volleyball, Emanuel, who won three Olympic medals for Brazil, and Chinese beach volleyball player Xue Chen, who won bronze at her home Games in 2008, will both be taking part. Also in attendance will be South Korean star volleyball player Kim Yeon-Koung, the Most Valuable Player at the London Olympics and a two-time Asian Games medallist, as well as Austrians Stefanie Schwaiger and Nikolas Berger, who are both former European Champions.

The exhibition match will be followed by a press conference (17.30 local time), where FIVB 2nd Executive Vice-President and CEV President Aleksandar Boričić and Austrian NOC President Karl Stoss as well as the top athletes will speak. The evening then continues with a hospitality reception (18.30 local time) with more information and an opportunity for further questions on offer.

Ahead of Snow Volleyball Night, Mr. Boričić said: "We are excited ahead of this truly unique opportunity to showcase Snow Volleyball to members of the Olympic family, sports officials, fans and media. We are confident that many will share our excitement for this rapidly growing sport as we count the days down to the first ever Snow Volleyball European Championships in Austria. Therefore, we could not wish for a better stage than Austria House as the place where to promote Snow Volleyball towards a global audience."

"It is a fantastic setting for us to showcase Snow Volleyball," FIVB President Dr. Ary S. Graça F° said. "We are very excited about the prospect of this new sport which will provide an opportunity for a new demographic to enjoy volleyball. The FIVB will reveal its plan for developing Snow Volleyball all over the world starting from the 2018/2019 winter season and onwards.

"We believe that volleyball is now accessible to everyone, from the summer to the winter, from the beach to the mountains. It is our mission to be the world’s number one family sport, and Snow Volleyball brings us closer to this goal."

The CEV already has a Snow Volleyball European Tour, and this year 17 European countries will host national championships. From 23-25 March 2018, Wagrain-Kleinarl and Flachau, Austria will host the inaugural CEV European Championships, with 24 teams from each gender competing.

Everyone is invited to watch the exhibition match on February 14 and attend the family event at Austria House on February 15 to join some of volleyball’s true legends on the snow.

Austria House is located at 4-4 Yongsan-ri, Daegwalnyeong-myeon Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do, Korea. For more information on Snow Volleyball Night, or Snow Volleyball in general, please contact:

info

For further information visit www.fivb.com/

Press contact - FIVB Communications Department

Email: press@fivb.org

Telephone: +41 21 345 35 35

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