THE new volleyball leadership in the country bared plans to bring back world-class competitions that Filipino fans were able to enjoy decades ago.
Newly elected volleyball association president Ramon ‘Tats’ Suzara said the FIVB and the Asian Volleyball Confederation have reached out to him about the possibility of the country hosting major international events again.
“FIVB and AVC sent me a message yesterday [that] if I win the presidency, we can bring back again international events,” said Suzara on Monday after he was formally elected president of the new Philippine National Volleyball Federation Inc.
The Philippines once hosted major volleyball competitions, particularly in 1999 when the FIVB World Grand Prix was held at the Philsports Arena where players led by Brazil’s Leila Barros became icons to local fans.
Cuba, Italy, and South Korea also participated in the three-day events that lured sellout crowds at the Ultra (now the PhilSports Arena) in Pasig City. The country even hosted the World Grand Prix finals proper in 2000 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum which Cuba won.
Unfortunately, unpaid dues strained the Philippine association's relationship with the world body.
AVC-sanctioned tournaments, however, have recently been held in the country over the past years such as the Asian Women’s Volleyball Championship and the Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship.
Suzara said he is looking at the possibility of hosting the FIVB Volleyball Nations League, which replaced the World Grand Prix starting in 2018.
“There are still pending. This week, I’m going to attend a meeting virtually with the FIVB Volleyball Nations League. I’m going to attend the meeting tomorrow and listen first,” said Suzara.
Suzara admitted bringing back world-class competitions will still be a tedious process with the new federation still in its infancy.
“There is still a lot of work. It’s a big challenge for me and for the new board to start the federation,” he said.
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