The President of the Polish Volleyball Federation, Sebastian Świderski, has delivered his strongest criticism to date of the International Volleyball Federation’s (FIVB) decision to reinstate Russia in international competitions and restore its place in the world rankings with the points it had when they were frozen in 2022.
In an interview with TVPSPORT.PL, he admitted that he was “shocked, surprised, and utterly astonished” by the way the decision was made.
“Nothing has changed beyond our eastern border. The bombings continue, and people are still dying,” said Świderski, noting that just two weeks earlier, representatives of Volleyball World had assured the Polish Federation that such a decision was not expected anytime soon.
His strongest criticism concerns the world rankings.
“For me, this is a very strange decision. In practice, it rewards teams for not participating and not earning points—you freeze your ranking, and four years later you return directly to third place in the world. It is completely incomprehensible,” Świderski said.
According to him, the decision could have a significant impact on qualification for major tournaments, including the Olympic Games, since the world ranking is one of the qualification criteria.
Świderski also revealed that the Polish Federation received no advance notice from the FIVB.
“I found out about the decision through social media. At first, I thought it was fake news,” he admitted.
According to him, neither the national federations nor the continental confederations were consulted before the decision was made.
Świderski reserved his strongest words for those responsible for the decision.
“I invite the gentlemen who made this decision to go to Ukraine and see what life is like there every day. I wonder how they would react if Russia had attacked their own country.”
The President of the Polish Federation also raised several practical questions that the FIVB has yet to answer publicly. How will Russia return to the Volleyball Nations League after having already lost its place? What will happen to the teams competing for promotion? How will potential matches between Russia and Ukraine be organized? And what would happen if Russia were required to play at the 2027 FIVB Men’s World Championship, which Poland will host?
Świderski noted that current Polish legislation imposes restrictions on the entry of Russian citizens into the country, which could create a serious conflict between FIVB requirements and national law.
“The FIVB cannot force us to violate our national legislation. We need time to develop a strategy,” he said.
While the FIVB has already reinstated Russia in its competitions and restored it to the world rankings, the European Volleyball Confederation (CEV) has yet to announce its final position.
The decisions expected from the European governing body in the coming weeks will determine whether Russia’s path back to international volleyball will be as straightforward as the FIVB’s decision suggests.
Sources: TVPSPORT.PL and Polish Media. STOP PLAGIARISM. NO ITALIAN TRANSLATIONS PLEASE!
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