The President of the Polish Volleyball Federation, Sebastian Świderski, has launched his sharpest criticism to date against the decision of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) to reinstate Russia in international tournaments and directly into the world ranking with points frozen in 2022.
In an interview forTVPSPORT.PLhe admits that he was "shocked, surprised, and highly astonished" by the way the decision was made.
"Outside our eastern border, nothing has changed. Bombings continue, and people are dying," states Świderski, recalling that just two weeks earlier, representatives of Volleyball World had assured the Polish Federation that such a decision was not expected so soon.
The most serious criticisms from the PZPS president are related to the world rankings.
"For me, this is a very strange decision. In practice, non-participation and not earning points are rewarded – you freeze your ranking, and four years later you return directly to third place in the world. This is completely incomprehensible," says Świderski.
According to him, such a decision could affect qualification for the biggest tournaments, including the Olympic Games, as the world ranking is one of the qualification criteria.
Świderski also reveals that the Polish Federation did not receive prior information from FIVB.
"I learned about the decision from social media. At first, I thought it was fake news," he admits.
According to him, neither national nor continental federations were consulted beforehand.
Świderski's strongest words are directed at the people who made the decision.
"I invite these gentlemen who made the decision to go to Ukraine and see what life is like there every day. I wonder how they would react if Russia had attacked their country."
The President of the Polish Federation also raises a number of practical questions to which FIVB has not yet given a public answer. How will Russia return to the Volleyball Nations League after having already lost its spot? What will happen to teams fighting for promotion? How will potential matches between Russia and Ukraine be organized? And what will happen if Russia has to play at the 2027 World Championship, which Poland is hosting?
Świderski recalls that current Polish legislation places restrictions on the entry of Russian citizens into the country, which could lead to a serious conflict between FIVB requirements and national authorities.
"FIVB cannot force us to violate national legislation. We need time to develop a strategy," he states.
While FIVB has already reinstated Russia in its tournaments and the world rankings, the European Volleyball Confederation (CEV) has not yet announced its final position.
It is expected that the upcoming decisions of the European headquarters will show whether Russia's path to return will be as unobstructed as it appears after the FIVB decision.

photo:pzps.pl