FIVB President received by President of the Republic of Bulgaria and presented with a prestigious sports award
06/01/2006
Sofia, 31 May 2006: FIVB President Dr Ruben Acosta H and his wife were received in Sofia today by the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Georgi Parvanov. President Parvanov had supported the award to Dr Acosta of the title of “Doctor Honoris Causa” of Bulgaria’s National Sports Academy (NSA).
This prestigious Bulgarian sports award was made by NSA Rector Prof Dr Lachezar Dimitrov at an Official Award Ceremony in recognition of Dr Acosta’s “exceptionally big contribution to the development and popularisation of Volleyball all over the world and the invaluable help rendered to the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation and to the game of Volleyball in Bulgaria.”
In previous years this award has also been accepted by many other distinguished sports leaders, including former IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch, FIFA President Sepp Blatter and Franz Beckenbauer, the only person to have won the football World Cup as both a player and manager.
Dr Acosta thanked President Parvanov for his support and encouragement and noted the strength of Volleyball in Bulgaria. The Bulgarian Republic’s President is also patron of the FIVB World League 2006, in which Bulgaria is one of the world’s top men’s teams competing for $20 million prize money in July and August. The FIVB President expressed his satisfaction that the Bulgarian men’s team had qualified for the final rounds of the FIVB World Championships in Japan in November.
Dr Acosta also welcomed the progress being made by Bulgaria’s women Volleyball and Beach Volleyball players. The Bulgarian city of Varna will host the European Qualification tournament in September for the 2007 FIVB Grand Prix, the premier event for women’s indoor Volleyball, and the leading Bulgarian women’s team are among the top 20 seeds on the SWATCH FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour.
In his acceptance speech to the NSA, Dr Acosta said: “For more than half a century Bulgaria has always played an active role in the FIVB, including a Volleyball match presented to the IOC members in 1957, by which Volleyball obtained recognition as an Olympic Sport.”
For over 60 years, Bulgaria’s National Sports Academy has had an outstanding record of bringing on dozens of world-famous Bulgarian sportsmen and women, trainers and coaches. It also has collaboration and exchange contracts with more than 30 Universities from all over the world, including with Colima University in Dr Acosta’s home country of Mexico.
During his visit to Bulgaria Dr Acosta also had meetings with officers of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation, the President of the State Agency of Youth and Sports and the President of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee.
The FIVB is the world governing body for Volleyball and Beach Volleyball with 218 affiliated National Federations and 35 million registered players.
