President Graça congratulates the referees at the World Grand Prix Finals in Bangkok
Lausanne, Switzerland, September 14, 2016 – FIVB President Dr. Ary S. Graça F° heaped praise on the programme which featured 20 FIVB referees and helped them prepare for the World Grand Prix and World League as well as the Rio Olympic Games.
Seminars were held throughout the year for both volleyball and beach volleyball referees starting at the FIVB Volleyball World Cup in 2015 and including the Rio Grand Slam and Hamburg Major for beach volleyball, and World Olympic Qualification Tournaments in Japan and the World Grand Prix and World League G1 Finals.
Quick Links:World Grand Prix 2016Photo galleriesThe sessions were aimed to improve on all aspects of the sport but especially in referees making quick and reliable decisions.
“The athletes train like professionals and with these seminars we were providing key training to our referees, and it was a great success,” President Graça said during the World Grand Prix Council meeting in Lausanne on Tuesday. "They improved a lot thanks to the training and preparation they received through these seminars and it’s something that will stand them in good stead, especially with all the latest technology and innovation which the FIVB has introduced to help them in their work.
"Referees have an important role to play in volleyball and recent innovations put in place by the FIVB help to ensure they are able to make the best decisions. "
New technology includes headsets, which help referees to communicate with each other, and electronic tablets and score sheets, which help referees track all the events in a match. The Challenge System, which was in place for the World Grand Prix Group 1 matches, also means teams are able to question specific decisions and thereby minimise possible errors.
Referee Takeshi Eshita uses a headset during the World Grand PrixThe successes of the 2016 edition of the World Grand Prix also included the implementation of the Challenge System across Group 1, helping referees to play their role efficiently.