Alessandro Bovolenta has left the training camp of the Italian national team and will participate in the Mediterranean Games, but this may not mean a definitive end to his hopes for EuroVolley 2026. The opposite hitter continues to be among the exactly 24 Italian volleyball players published by CEV – the maximum allowed number in the extended list for the European Championship.
In the last few hours, it was officially confirmed that Bovolenta is leaving Ferdinando De Giorgi's group and joining Vincenzo Fanizza's selection for the Mediterranean Games.
At first glance, the message seems clear – Yuri Romano and Kamil Rychlicki are the favorites for the two opposite hitter spots for EuroVolley. Italian media also interpreted the decision this way, withVolleyball.iteven using the categorical phrasing "Niente Europei per Alessandro Bovolenta" – "No European Championship for Alessandro Bovolenta."
Bovolenta remains among CEV's 24
However, there is one significant detail.
The CEV-published roster for Italy for EuroVolley 2026 includes exactly 24 volleyball players, and Bovolenta is one of them.
This is important because, according to the official CEV regulations, national federations had to finalize their CEV 05 – Players' Long List by August 10. It can include a maximum of 24 players, from whom the final maximum of 14 for the European Championship are subsequently selected.
The public CEV list does not allow us to definitively claim that we are seeing the actual CEV 05 form submitted by FIPAV. However, the fact is indicative – after the deadline, there are exactly 24 Italians on the CEV page, and Bovolenta is among them.
Italy is not yet obliged to choose the final 14
Even more importantly, August 10 is not the deadline for determining the final roster for EuroVolley.
The final maximum of 14 are registered via CEV 05bis before the Preliminary Inquiry after the team's arrival for the European Championship. The condition is that all selected players must have been previously included in CEV 05.
Therefore, Bovolenta's presence among the 24 names published by CEV leaves at least the administrative possibility for him to be among the final 14.
The calendar also leaves the door open
The Mediterranean Games in Taranto are from August 21 to September 3, with the volleyball program starting as early as August 20. The Men's EuroVolley is from September 9 to 27, 2026.
The two tournaments do not overlap. Calendar-wise, Bovolenta can complete his participation in the Mediterranean Games and then be available to De Giorgi for the European Championship.
Romano and Rychlicki remain favorites
From a sports-technical perspective, the situation looks different. Romano and Rychlicki are clearly the main candidates for the two opposite hitter spots, and sending Bovolenta to Fanizza is a strong signal about De Giorgi's hierarchy.
But there is a difference between Bovolenta being a third choice at the moment and being definitively out of contention for EuroVolley.
It is possible that Italy will keep him as a third option for the position, while he gets playing time at the Mediterranean Games. Should the situation around Romano or Rychlicki change, De Giorgi could turn to him again, if the list published by CEV indeed reflects the closed CEV 05.
Therefore, the phrasing "Bovolenta dropped from EuroVolley" seems too definitive for now. He is leaving De Giorgi's current group, but he continues to be among the exactly 24 Italians published by CEV, and the calendar and regulations leave open the possibility of his return.
At least administratively, the door to EuroVolley 2026 does not yet seem definitively closed for Alessandro Bovolenta.
photo: Nikolay Varadinov
