The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) adopted a decision that the chairpersons of the continental confederations' refereeing commissions be invited as observers to future meetings of the Rules of the Game and Refereeing Commission. This move is part of the world body's efforts for better coordination between different levels of governance and aims to increase transparency, knowledge exchange, and the standardization of refereeing standards on a global scale. In practice, the decision gives greater weight to continental structures in the process of discussing and interpreting the rules. The President of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation, Lyubomir Ganev, also participated in the meetings of the FIVB Executive Committee and Administrative Board, which took place late last week at the federation's headquarters in Lausanne.
In addition to the refereeing topic, the leadership of world volleyball also discussed a number of strategic projects related to the development of the game. Among them is the progress on creating the new Beach World Series format, which is intended to expand and restructure the beach volleyball calendar. In parallel, FIVB is working on implementing innovations, including artificial intelligence-based solutions, as well as possibilities for remote refereeing. These initiatives are part of the federation's broader strategy until 2032.
The Administrative Board approved the creation of a new award – "The Volleyball Order" – which will replace the previous FIVB Grand Cross and will recognize exceptional contributions to the development of volleyball.