Italy poised to welcome Volleyball party of the year
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A major Volleyball party will soon unfold across as many as nine cities of the Italian peninsula – with the 2023 edition of CEV EuroVolley getting underway on August 15 at the iconic Arena di Verona and reaching its climax with the men’s semis and medal matches in mid-September in Italy. This tremendous effort was discussed on Tuesday at a media conference organised at the headquarters of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) and attended by as many as four ministers of the Italian government as well as by CEV President Aleksandar Boričić.
“The Italian Volleyball Federation stands among the most successful ones on the global stage, and this applies not only to Volleyball, where they lead the way with their national teams, but also to Beach Volleyball, Snow Volleyball and even Sitting Volleyball. I am very confident that, as they did with previous such events, Italy will live up to everyone’s expectations in the delivery of EuroVolley 2023,” the CEV President said.
“Italy has been a force to reckon with in Volleyball for decades and we are obviously proud of this,” CONI President Giovanni Malago’ said. “Italy was a forerunner in many ways already back in 1971, when hosting the men’s and women’s European Championships at the same time.”
“Organising two continental championships for the first time since 1971 is testament to our synergy and good cooperation with the CEV. It is obviously challenging to deliver such an event across nine cities, but we have the right skills and resources to make it happen. I know already that the audience will enjoy the experience and I invite everyone to follow this championship. I wish to thank the local authorities for their support,” said Italian Volleyball Federation President Giuseppe Manfredi.
The representatives of the government, including the Minister of Economy and Finance, Giancarlo Giorgetti, emphasised the importance that such an event as EuroVolley can have in stimulating tourism. His words were echoed by the Ministers in charge of Agriculture, Sports and Tourism, Francesco Lollobrigida, Andrea Abodi and Daniela Santanchè, who stressed the role that major sporting events can play in the efforts to promote Italy on the global stage and the lessons that a team sport such as Volleyball can teach in terms of joining forces for the achievement of excellence and the promotion of diversity.
Davide Mazzanti, head coach of the women’s national team, added: “We are happy to share this adventure with our supporters from across Italy. We will start our journey on August 15 in Verona and this championship will offer us the opportunity to write another chapter of our success story.”
“We have just finished the VNL where we could test some younger players. We are confident ahead of this European Championship – we will be stopping in many cities, and we will enjoy meeting so many of our fans. The expectations are obviously high, but we need to focus on ourselves. We wish to spread positive vibes. We need to work hard and to improve with each day. I am very confident for what lies ahead knowing that I am surrounded by a great team and staff,” added men’s head coach Ferdinando De Giorgi.
EuroVolley is a lot more than ‘just’ a sporting competition. Mr Roberto Ghiretti showed the outcome of a study revealing that the economic impact of the two championships held in Italy will exceed € 160 million by combining official delegations, staff, media, spectators, event setup and organisation, media and advertising, and promotional activities.