The Volleyball House was the setting this week for a key meeting between the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and the Qatar Foundation. Her Excellency Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice President of the Qatar Foundation and a member of the Board of the Volleyball Foundation, met with FIVB President Fabio Azevedo to discuss the global development of the sport and its social impact, with a special emphasis on the empowerment of women. The visit centered around the presentation of the FIVB’s Strategic Vision 2032, an ambitious plan to elevate volleyball to new levels of professionalism and inclusion.
The collaboration between both institutions, which formally began in December 2024, aims to strengthen volleyball in Qatar and other regions through training programs, leadership development, and female participation. During the meeting, new joint initiatives were discussed, especially through the Volleyball Foundation, created in May 2024, which seeks to implement projects with a positive impact on communities around the world. This joint effort has already borne fruit, such as the event “Women in Sport: Creating Pathways,” which brought together international sports leaders and athletes to reflect on volleyball’s transformative role.
A Shared Vision for the Future of Sport
The Strategic Vision 2032, presented by Fabio Azevedo to Sheikha Hind, sets out a roadmap based on four core pillars: professionalism, integration, empowerment, and mass participation. With the support of National Federations and various stakeholders, the FIVB has outlined 15 priority areas to guide its actions over the next eight years. Among them, the Volleyball Foundation stands out as a key instrument for harnessing the power of sport as a driver for social change and community development.
Within this framework, the partnership with the Qatar Foundation is especially significant. Both organizations share the goal of promoting volleyball as a tool for inclusion, training, and leadership—particularly among women and youth. The event “Women in Sport: Creating Pathways,” held at the Education City Stadium, marked one of the first milestones of this collaboration. Thanks to panels organized by the FIVB, the QVA, and the Qatar Foundation, meaningful dialogues were held on the impact of women’s sports and new opportunities opened to continue working toward a more equitable future in the sporting world.
