The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) announced a disciplinary decision against a member of the Rules of the Game and Refereeing Commission, who has been removed from their position after disclosing confidential information related to tests of new regulatory changes.
The decision was made by the FIVB Ethics Panel after a violation of Article 15.1 of the Federation's Code of Ethics was found.
Violation of Article 15.1 of the Code of Ethics
Pursuant to Article 15.1, all individuals under the jurisdiction of the FIVB Code of Ethics are prohibited from disclosing information entrusted to them by the federation. This prohibition covers all types of data obtained in their capacity as officials or members of bodies affiliated with the international headquarters.
The FIVB emphasizes that the obligation of confidentiality applies to all information to which the respective individual has access within the scope of their position in the organization.
How the sanction came about
The case became public after information about new rules that the FIVB had planned to test in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) and in continental championships appeared on a page for Polish referees on the social network Facebook.
It was this dissemination of internal data that led to the intervention of the Ethics Panel and the subsequent removal of the commission member.
The position of the international federation
The FIVB states that it maintains full confidence in the professionalism of its commissions and will continue to uphold the highest standards of ethics and integrity in the governance of world volleyball.
The decision aligns with the control and oversight mechanisms that the federation implements to ensure transparency, fairness, and strict adherence to regulations at all levels of the sport.
The sanction comes at a sensitive time when experimental changes to the rules of the game are being discussed and prepared – a topic that traditionally arouses serious interest among both specialists and the refereeing community.
