HRH Prince Abdullah Bin Mosaad Bin Abdulaziz, President General of Youth Welfare and President of Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee, His Excellency Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, President of ANOC and OCA, and FIVB President Dr Ary Graca jointly presided over the official opening ceremony of the 21st AVC General Assembly at the Movenpick Hotel Riyadh in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Also in the meeting as the guests of honour were CEV President Aleksandar Boricic, CAVB President Dr Amr Elwani, Qatar Volleyball Association (QVA) President Khalid Ali Al-Mawlawi and Fahad Bin Nasser Al-Huraishi, President of the Saudi Arabian Volleyball Federation.
The two-day meeting is being held to approve the agendas and Minutes of the previous General Assembly in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates aside from reviewing the main tasks of all AVC Zonal Associations and proposals presented by the Technical Committees and Council.
In his speech to 61 federations of 65 AVC’s affiliated national federations attending the 21st AVC General Assembly, FIVB President Dr Ary Graca said, “I have been talking privately to each AVC Zonal Association meeting and had a good chance to exchange ideas with them. Asia is a big continent and we are sure that there will be major impact after the General Assembly here.
“Volleyball is a sport of family – no fight and no contact, which kids and women can take part. My concern is the opportunity to give more people to participate and expand opportunities to those who want to play. I honestly confirm that volleyball is No.1 sport of the family and we should take advantage of this. To make what I have said more important is to participate. By participating, we will know how far volleyball has developed,” he added.
AVC President Dr Saleh A. Bin Nasser said, “We are very proud to welcome all delegates to our country. I myself also feel proud that all these years with my colleague Mr Essa Hamza, AVC now have increased to 65 members. This reflects a big step of progress and success in our confederation. I would like to thank FIVB President Dr Ary Graca for his latest knowledge of development and promotion and he always placed AVC on top of the importance. I would like the Asian family to support Dr Ary in the FIVB World Congress in Argentina next year.”
After the official opening ceremony, AVC President Dr Saleh A. Bin Nasser and AVC First Executive Vice President Mr Essa Hamza jointly presented plagues to VIP persons attending the 21st AVC General Assembly including the Prince, the Sheikh, FIVB President Dr Ary Graca, FIVB and AVC Honorary Life President Mr Wei Jizhong, the CEV and the CAVB Presidents.