New Delhi: The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) has signed an MoU with the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) for the growth and development of youth volleyball in India and South Asia.
The MoU was signed between FIVB President Dr Ary S Graça F and KISS Founder Prof (Dr) Achyuta Samanta at the FIVB Headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland on Monday.
This is the first time that FIVB has forged ties with an educational institute to promote and popularise the game, a press release said.
The MoU will see KISS, the largest university for indigenous students in the world, develop into a knowledge hub for volleyball training and other educational opportunities related to the sport, in addition to further promoting volleyball in India.
KISS will also act as a training hub for youth volleyball national teams while providing training and general education programmes for them.
Over 20 volleyball courts will be developed on KISS campus with FIVB supporting KISS with materials and equipment. Academic scholarships and free tuition will also be available to former volleyball athletes.
“The FIVB is delighted to join forces with KISS to further promote volleyball and beach volleyball in India and South Asia. Our sport brings different communities together through shared values and I look forward to seeing the positive impact of our programmes for children in the region,” said the FIVB president.
Dr Samanta, on the other hand, expressed his immense gratitude to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for the promotion of sports in the state.
“We are promoting various sport activities as we are inspired by our Chief Minister who is passionate about sports. At KISS, we are happy to work with the FIVB and bring volleyball and beach volleyball to our campus with 30,000 residential students and 10,000 studying in satellite campuses. We believe that sport is the perfect tool to help the development of tens of thousands of children every year in India and South Asia. We will popularize the sport more and more among the girl students” he said.
