Lausanne, May 14, 2008 - Dr. Rubén Acosta (Mexico), President of the International Volleyball Federation since the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1984, has expressed his intention to retire on the occasion of the next FIVB Congress on 16 & 17 June in Dubai, 2 years before the end of his current mandate.

The announcement of his retirement surprised all the members of the FIVB Board of Administration at the extraordinary session on Monday in Lausanne on the occasion of the opening ceremony of "Château Les Tourelles," the new premises belonging to the FIVB on the shores of Lake Leman.

"I intend to leave my position at a time when our Federation is stronger than ever to devote from now on all my time to my family and to my private affairs," he declared to the Board members who did not fail to show their surprise. "The FIVB is strong, now has superb premises, the Executive Committee is strong, the Board of Administration is strong, I think that the time is right to hand over after twenty-four years as President," he added. They all, one after another, tried to dissuade him and make him go back on his decision. They asked him to think about it from now to Dubai where they even planned to request him to stay for another four years. The Board of Administration has indeed decided to propose, at the Congress, to return to the Olympic cycle as far as elections are concerned.

Dr. Acosta accepted to re-consider for another month, but did not conceal the fact that he had spent a long time thinking about his decision before making his intention known and that it was very unlikely that he would change his mind between now and the middle of June.

According to the current FIVB Constitution, in the case of the retirement of the incumbent President, the remainder of the mandate of the presidency of the FIVB would be assured by the First Executive Vice-President, Mr. Wei Jizhong (China) and the position of the First Executive Vice-President would be taken by Mr. Cristobal Marte Hoffiz (Dominican Republic), the current Second Executive Vice-President.

Dr. Rubén Acosta and former FIVB President Paul Libaud (second from left) stand during the XIX FIVB World Congress in 1984 in Los Angeles where Dr. Acosta was elected President for the first time