Dr Acosta Resigns his Membership of the IOC
Lausanne, 17 May 2004 – The FIVB announces the decision of its President Dr Ruben Acosta Hernandez to resign as a member of the International Olympic Committee as he has now passed his 70th birthday, in line with IOC rules.
Coming out of the 29th FIVB World Congress in Porto which gave him a unanimous vote of confidence and its total support, Dr Acosta has chosen to dedicate himself exclusively to the global growth of his federation and,
through it, the growth of Volleyball and Beach Volleyball in line with the objectives agreed by Congress delegates from five continents, and for the benefit of the players from all continents.
Dr Acosta has written to IOC President Dr Jacques Rogge: 'I regret that this work as a servant of sport is today the subject of a conflict between the management rules which the FIVB has decreed by democratic vote and other ideas put forward by those who within the IOC think of new ways of defining ethics in sport.
'It is precisely out of concern to avoid any fruitless polemic in the run-up to the Olympic Games in Athens, which incidentally will likely feature a magnificent festival of Volleyball and Beach Volleyball in first-class
venues, and because I have always fulfilled my functions with honour and correctness that I have decided to bring forward my departure from the IOC,' he added.
'All culture is born of mixing, meeting and shocks,' the great Mexican writer Octavio Paz once wrote. 'The opposite of this is that it is out of isolation that civilisations die.' It is because this definition – from the pen of a famous compatriot – applies to the universality of sport that Dr Acosta will fulfil his duties at the head of the FIVB with enthusiasm and a sense of responsibility, so that Volleyball and Beach Volleyball remain, more than ever, among the great moments of the modern Games, and that the federation can continue to pursue its growth strategy.
'In choosing to dedicate myself exclusively to Volleyball and Beach Volleyball,' concludes the FIVB President, 'I remain true to my life choices, to the requirements for professionalism and transparency which have always guided my management of sport, and, above all, to a very great
passion which I am proud to bring to the international sporting scene, with the support of all the men and women who share this love of Volleyball and Beach Volleyball.'
For more details contact:
Richard Baker - FIVB Communications
Phone: +41 21 345 35 35
Fax: +41 21 345 35 45
press@fivb.org
Coming out of the 29th FIVB World Congress in Porto which gave him a unanimous vote of confidence and its total support, Dr Acosta has chosen to dedicate himself exclusively to the global growth of his federation and,
through it, the growth of Volleyball and Beach Volleyball in line with the objectives agreed by Congress delegates from five continents, and for the benefit of the players from all continents.
Dr Acosta has written to IOC President Dr Jacques Rogge: 'I regret that this work as a servant of sport is today the subject of a conflict between the management rules which the FIVB has decreed by democratic vote and other ideas put forward by those who within the IOC think of new ways of defining ethics in sport.
'It is precisely out of concern to avoid any fruitless polemic in the run-up to the Olympic Games in Athens, which incidentally will likely feature a magnificent festival of Volleyball and Beach Volleyball in first-class
venues, and because I have always fulfilled my functions with honour and correctness that I have decided to bring forward my departure from the IOC,' he added.
'All culture is born of mixing, meeting and shocks,' the great Mexican writer Octavio Paz once wrote. 'The opposite of this is that it is out of isolation that civilisations die.' It is because this definition – from the pen of a famous compatriot – applies to the universality of sport that Dr Acosta will fulfil his duties at the head of the FIVB with enthusiasm and a sense of responsibility, so that Volleyball and Beach Volleyball remain, more than ever, among the great moments of the modern Games, and that the federation can continue to pursue its growth strategy.
'In choosing to dedicate myself exclusively to Volleyball and Beach Volleyball,' concludes the FIVB President, 'I remain true to my life choices, to the requirements for professionalism and transparency which have always guided my management of sport, and, above all, to a very great
passion which I am proud to bring to the international sporting scene, with the support of all the men and women who share this love of Volleyball and Beach Volleyball.'
For more details contact:
Richard Baker - FIVB Communications
Phone: +41 21 345 35 35
Fax: +41 21 345 35 45
press@fivb.org