CEV President highlights role of solidarity in building sustainable Volleyball ecosystem at EU Sport Forum panel

On Wednesday, CEV President Roko Sikirić was among the key speakers joining the panel discussion “Rewarding Talent in Sport: Boosting Solidarity and Competitive Balance” organised during the EU Sport Forum 2026 in Paphos, Cyprus, while the Mediterranean island holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Moderated by Giorgio Guazzugli Marini, Head of Unit at the European Commission, the session also featured Gareth Farrelly, CEO of the Union of European Clubs, and Christina Tsiligkiri, President of the European Multisport Clubs Association.

“As far as European Volleyball is concerned, we strongly believe that solidarity must be structured, and not based on ad-hoc or one-off decisions. Through the recently introduced CEV Solidarity Fund, we ensure both transparency and targeted financial support, while also investing in capacity building through programmes such as the CEV Volleyball Management Programme and the annual CEV Coaches Convention,” the CEV President said. 

“Our grassroots School Project, run under the slogan ‘Play Volleyball – Grow With It’, co-funded by the European Commission through Erasmus+, has grown into a true movement, thereby engaging over 600,000 children across some 30 European countries and promoting not only sport, but also their physical and mental well-being, social inclusion, and lifelong healthy habits,” he continued. 

“We remain committed to maintaining open and inclusive competitions, thus providing opportunities for talent to develop and for clubs and national teams to compete at the European level. With this in mind, we have restructured and streamlined our senior national team competitions by reducing financial burdens, especially by merging the EuroVolley Qualifiers and the annual European League, and introducing additional youth competition layers to strengthen long-term player development and provide additional opportunities for these youngsters to their skills on the international stage,” he emphasised, with reference to the recently introduced CEV U20 Volleyball European League – which will be contested for the first time in 2027. 

“As a European sports-governing body, we have a clear responsibility to balance the interests of all stakeholders and ensure that decisions are guided by the collective good of the entire sport ecosystem. Ultimately, solidarity is a collective effort and one that strengthens the entire Volleyball ecosystem and ensures its sustainable, long-term future,” he concluded.