Mykhailo MELNYK: “We Knew It Was Only a Matter of Time Before Representatives of the Aggressor States Were Allowed to Compete in Volleyball”
Mykhailo Melnyk, President of the Ukrainian Volleyball Federation, has commented on the International Volleyball Federation’s (FIVB) decision to readmit Russia and Belarus to international competitions at junior level.
FIVB Allows Russian and Belarusian Youth National Teams to Return to International Competitions
“We knew that, following the International Olympic Committee’s controversial decision, allowing representatives of the aggressor states to compete in volleyball events was only a matter of time. We began discussions on further joint steps with the leaders of national federations friendly to us even before the FIVB decision was announced. We are not hesitating or wasting time.
I would like to remind everyone that we raised the issue of excluding Russia and Belarus from all official competitions under the auspices of the FIVB and the European Volleyball Confederation (CEV) on the day after the full-scale war began, on February 25, 2022. We convinced the relevant governing bodies of the validity of our arguments and, among other things, succeeded in having Russia stripped of the right to host the 2022 Men’s World Championship.
Now we face a new challenge. Of course, we will submit a statement to the FIVB. At the same time, we recognise that the chances of it having an effect are slim. It is no secret that Russia uses financial incentives to exert influence over the majority of the 202 national associations that are members of the FIVB. Therefore, opposition from individual European associations would be just a drop in the ocean and would have no impact.
The CEV is a different matter, as it comprises 54 national associations. Football provides a good example. In 2023, when UEFA attempted to partially reintegrate Russian teams, 15 national associations immediately declared that they would not allow their national teams to play against a country that had launched the bloodiest war since the Second World War. This had an effect, and the issue of readmitting Russia was postponed indefinitely.
We have the full support of four national associations: Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. We are negotiating with other countries as well. The Ukrainian side is working on this, and so are our partners. For example, the president of the Estonian Volleyball Federation and the country’s Minister of Defence, Hanno Pevkur, is speaking with colleagues from the Scandinavian national associations. At present, we have every reason to expect these discussions to be successful.
At the same time, we are considering alternative options in case Russian and Belarusian volleyball players are allowed to participate in junior-level competitions. We are not ruling out any steps at this stage — from refusing to take part in competitions to making demonstrative gestures of protest. We understand that by skipping competitions, we could lose the ranking position we currently hold. We would then have to start from scratch. But if we decide that such a step is justified, we will take it,” the head of the Ukrainian Volleyball Federation told sport.ua.
