Valentina Bifflin, Director of the Croatian Volleyball Federation, has been re-elected as President of the Middle European Volleyball Zonal Association (MEVZA), reaffirming her outstanding international reputation and remaining the first Croatian woman to lead such a regional sports organization. This represents significant recognition not only of her work to date but also of Croatian volleyball as a whole, which further strengthens its position on the European and global sports map through this appointment.
MEVZA, an organization with nearly three decades of activity, brings together nine Central European countries: Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Israel, Cyprus, and Luxembourg, and has recorded strong growth and international recognition in recent years.
During Valentina Bifflin’s mandate, which began in 2022, MEVZA has grown into one of the most successful zonal volleyball associations in the world, as confirmed by both the European and International Volleyball Federations. New competitions have also been launched, including a club beach volleyball championship and a junior club championship, while the organization now annually delivers more than twenty different competitions and tournaments, ranging from club to national team events, across all age groups and disciplines.
“For those who may not know, MEVZA is an organization that has been operating for almost 30 years. I have been leading it as President since 2022. It brings together nine countries from the region: Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Israel, Cyprus, and Luxembourg. Over the past four years, we have successfully transformed a small volleyball organization into a strong zonal association which, according to the European and International Volleyball Federations, has been recognized as the most successful zonal organization in the world.
We have also successfully launched two competitions that did not previously exist: a club beach volleyball championship and a junior club championship. Each year, we organize more than twenty different tournaments, from the MEVZA club league and national team competitions for all youth age categories, including beach volleyball, to, as of this year, senior national team competitions through which points for the world ranking are earned.
My re-election to a new mandate represents confirmation of the work achieved so far, but also a great obligation and responsibility to raise this high standard even further in the coming period. Of course, this success is not the result of one individual, but of an entire team, to whom I would like to express my sincere gratitude for their support and effort, from the members of the Assembly and the Board, to the commission presidents and the Sports Director. Without their contribution, these results would certainly not have been as successful.
In conclusion, I can say that I look back with pride on the past four years and everything we have achieved, and we enter the new mandate with confidence and enthusiasm, firmly believing that Central European volleyball will continue to follow and shape global trends in this fast-growing sport”, said Valentina Bifflin.
The re-election of Valentina Bifflin is a strong confirmation of the continuity of successful leadership and an additional boost to the development of volleyball in the Central European region, as well as an important moment for Croatian sport, which once again secures a prominent place in international sports structures.
