Marek Pakosta to lead Czech Volleyball family for third straight term
News
On Saturday, members of the Czech Volleyball family came together at the International Hotel Prague for the General Assembly of the Czech Volleyball Federation (CVF). This crucial event, which was to determine the direction of Czech Volleyball for years to come, is held only once every four years and this time it did welcome a record 150 delegates with the right to cast their votes, plus a variety of international guests, including CEV President Roko Sikirić, who delivered an address where he praised Czech Volleyball for their rich history, impressive achievements and for being a ‘cradle’ of European Volleyball.
The General Assembly was opened by the President of the Czech Volleyball Federation, Marek Pakosta, who in his opening speech welcomed not only the delegates present, but also the many distinguished guests, starting with the CEV President, who was joined by CEV First Vice President Ivan Knezevic, MEVZA President Valentina Bifflin and the Presidents of the National Federations of Serbia, Hungary, and Montenegro. This was followed by the election of the General Assembly bodies and the report of President Pakosta whereby he summarised the activities run by the Federation throughout the past term.
The main item on the agenda was the election of the new leadership of the CVF. Marek Pakosta was confirmed by the delegates for a third time at the helm of the organisation.
“I would like to thank you all for your trust, which I appreciate immensely. It is both an honour and a commitment for me to lead such a large and successful association. I am looking forward to continuing my work with my colleagues from the CVF leadership in the next period, which will further move Czech Volleyball forward and help us achieve new goals. My personal wish and great motivation is that Czech Volleyball will take and maintain its current third place among team sports and at the same time strengthen itself and be respected on the international stage,” said Pakosta in his speech immediately after the election.
The delegates also elected all other members of the CVF Management Committee – Daniel Bartek, Martin Gerža, Ing. Radek Hacaperka, Aneta Havlíčková, MUDr. Petr Juda, Jakub Lejsek, Roman Macek, MUDr. Vít Mařík, Bc. Jakub Novotný, Vavřinec Pečinka, Petr Šotola, and Ing. Tomáš Zedník. The newly formed statutory body of the CVF has 13 members and its representatives are from the women’s extraliga, men’s extraliga, Beach Volleyball and other areas. In the next session, new members of the Control and Revision Commission of the CVF were elected - Vladimír Tabara, Ing. Jiří Čermák, Ing. Jiří Kmoníček, Josef Klapal, and Petr Beran.
Constructive atmosphere and clear goals for the future
The General Assembly was held in a very friendly and constructive atmosphere, which was especially evident during the final discussion, where delegates had the opportunity to present their comments and demands to the leadership of the CVF.
Marek Pakosta, a former successful Volleyball player and Olympian, has been leading the Czech Volleyball Federation since 2017. During his tenure, Czech Volleyball has seen several significant achievements, such as the successful hosting of international tournaments, the stabilisation of finances, impressive results at the international level and expanded support for youth categories.
“There are further challenges ahead of us, in meeting which I will again rely on the cooperation and support of both the entire CVF Management Committee and my colleagues from our association. We want to continue to consolidate financial independence and stability, to achieve sporting results at international level, but also to develop Volleyball at lower levels. An important topic is the creation of a new concept of media coverage of Volleyball in order to reach new fans and increase the value of Czech Volleyball products. Last but not least, to continue further modernisation of IT technologies and applications, including modern e-recording,” Pakosta added at the end of his speech.
The Czech Volleyball Federation holds an elective General Assembly every four years, always in the period after the Olympic Games. It is the highest body of the federation, which decides on the long-term directions, strategic goals, and the composition of the federation’s leadership.
The delegates took away from Saturday’s meeting not only a lot of new knowledge, but above all a positive atmosphere and motivation to continue working together. Czech Volleyball, with its newly confirmed leadership and clear goals, enters the next period with optimism and the will to continue on the set course.
The next General Assembly of the Czech Volleyball Federation will take place in 2029, when the leadership will again give an account of its work and the delegates will decide whether the current course will continue or changes will be made.