CEV President attends 2023 IVHF induction celebration

CEV President Aleksandar Boričić travelled earlier this week to the birthplace of Volleyball, Holyoke, Massachusetts, to attend the annual ceremony whereby Volleyball legends are inducted into the Hall of Fame of the sport. The Class of 2023 included one European – Italy’s legendary coach Silvano Prandi. 

The International Volleyball Hall of Fame (IVHF) did organise on Saturday the 37th edition of the annual induction celebration, which is held at the very same place, Holyoke, where Volleyball was invented by William G. Morgan in 1895. Saturday’s ceremony was preceded on Friday by a reception hosted at the IVHF Museum by the Mayor of Holyoke. 

The CEV President attended all events together with some of the 2023 inductees – Beach Volleyball Olympic champion Phil Dalhausser of USA, Beach Volleyball legend Larissa França Maestrini of Brazil, the wife of 1972 Volleyball Olympic gold medallist Katsutoshi Nekoda of Japan, Silvano Prandi and yet another close friend – Thailand’s Shanrit Wongprasert, a former member of the FIVB Board of Administration and Secretary General of the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC). Cuba’s three-time Olympic medallist Yumilka Ruiz is also a member of the Class of 2023 but did not attend the events in Holyoke. 

From a European perspective, Silvano Prandi is regarded as the first Italian coach to take the jump into professionalism. He has coached ten different professional teams in Italy and France from 1976 to present, thereby winning national and European titles along the way. He was at the helm of the Italian Men’s National team from 1982-1986 together with Carmelo Pittera and during his tenure Italy won a first, historic Olympic medal – bronze – at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. 

Prandi was twice the head coach of the Bulgarian Men’s National team (2008-2010 and 2019-2021) leading them to a bronze medal at the 2009 European Championship in Türkiye – their last podium finish in a major international competition to this day. Prandi is known for his tactical expertise and ability to motivate his players. He has been praised for his innovative approach to the game which has helped him achieve success both domestically and internationally.

With the addition of Prandi, as many as 51 legends of European Volleyball have been inducted into the Hall of Fame of the sport from countries such as Bulgaria, Czechia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Sweden, Türkiye, and Ukraine. 

For further information, visit www.volleyhall.org 

Photos courtesy of the International Volleyball Hall of Fame