FIVB: President Graça opens meeting of the Refereeing and Rules of the Game Commissions

Lausanne, Switzerland, January 21, 2015 – FIVB President Dr. Ary S. Graça F° called for constructive criticism and a focus on innovation and new technologies as he opened a meeting of the Refereeing and Rules of the Game Commissions at the International Volleyball Federation’s headquarters in Lausanne on Wednesday.
The year 2014 marked a high point for volleyball with record numbers attending the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship Poland 2014 and the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship Italy 2014. Dr. Graça congratulated the Refereeing Commission for a successful year, saying that hard work had produced the best World Championships ever.
The FIVB President also said that there had been a change in mentalities over the last year and that refereeing was moving in the right direction. “Our discussions about how to use technology are important. Volleyball is a fast game and technology can help our referees to make the right decisions.”
Another key project in the year to come will concern referee training. President Graça stressed the need for continuous training for referees and asked the Commission to make rapid progress on a new e-learning project: „E-learning will play a vital role in referee training. Ongoing research, positive cooperation and providing our referees with the best training tools possible will help to keep volleyball popular.”
The Refereeing Commission meeting, which will run from Wednesday to Friday, is the first in a series of FIVB Commission and Council meetings to take place in the early months of 2015.