9
축사
FIVB President
Dr. Ary S. Gra a F°
Dear friends,
On behalf of the FIVB and the wider volleyball family, it gives me great pleasure
to congratulate you on the centennial anniversary of volleyball in Korea ? a
prestigious milestone, which you should all be greatly proud of.
We started our journey with you back in 1959, when your national federation
joined the FIVB. Volleyball in Korea has come a long way since then, we are
delighted with the development of the sport in your country and it is pleasing
to see the love, passion and dedication shown to the sport by your athletes and
fans.
The centennial anniversary provides us all with the opportunity to reflect on
Korea’s great volleyball history.
Following the inauguration of the Korean Volleyball Association and the first
National Championship in 1946, the sport received greater recognition in Korea.
The Korean national volleyball teams enjoyed a golden age of success from
1970 to the 1990s. The FIVB commends the fact that volleyball brought the first
Olympic medal in ball sports to the country thanks to the women’s team winning
bronze at the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games, while the men’s team was ranked
5th at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games. Nowadays the Korean women’s
senior team and the men’s U23 national volleyball teams are ranked within the
top 10 teams in the world for their category. ?
We recognise the important status of volleyball in your country and appreciate
the experience and expertise of Korean volleyball administrators, coaches and
players. At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, we officially launched the FIVB very
first Athletes’ Commission, where your very own player Kim Yeon Koung, MVP
at the London 2012 Olympic Games, was appointed a Commission member.
The FIVB is very grateful for the contribution of the Korean Volleyball
Association to the development of volleyball in Korea, Asia and around the world
as we look to establish the sport as the number one family sport entertainment.
The FIVB wishes the Korean Volleyball Association a very successful year and
continued success long into the future.
Yours in friendship.
