The Italian Volleyball Federation turns 80 in 2026. This is a significant milestone that the Italian Volleyball Federation (FIPAV) is celebrating with a series of celebrations that will unfold throughout the year, symbolically uniting Italy through events and activities that retrace the history of Italian volleyball. The Central Sardinia Territorial Committee, under the patronage of the Municipality of Oristano, will celebrate this milestone with an event scheduled for Sunday, October 4, 2026, at 1:00 a.m. at the Hospitalis Sancti Antoni. The event will offer an opportunity to relive the history of volleyball in the area and to bestow important recognition on US Ariete (a club over 50 years old), Gaetano Pitzolu (in memoriam), Ninni Careddu (in memoriam), Marzio Schintu, Sandro Floris, and Carlo Spiga, who have contributed to the spread and growth of volleyball in the provinces of Oristano and Nuoro. Matteo Nuvoli and Paola Nonne will be present as ambassadors for the event. Franco Cani and Marcello Marcella. After the national awards ceremony, the Fipav Central Sardinia Territorial Committee will recognize other individuals and/or clubs who have promoted volleyball in Central Sardinia. The event is organized by the Fipav Central Sardinia Committee in collaboration with the Municipality of Oristano, the Oristano "Jurassic" group (former volleyball players and managers), the Provincial Physical Education Offices of Nuoro and Oristano, and other individuals who have held important institutional sporting roles. The event will be hosted by Santina Raschiotti, a former volleyball player from Oristano.
"It is an honor for me and the Central Sardinia Committee to organize this celebratory event to recognize those who have contributed to promoting volleyball in our region before us," emphasized President Mauro Marras. "We believe it is a duty for the Federation to honor those who have contributed to the spread of this sport in our communities, at the corporate, federal, and scholastic levels. We will have the pleasure of awarding the Fipav silver medal minted by the Italian Mint to former volleyball player Marzio Schintu, to Sandro Floris, who was the imprimatur of the volleyball movement in Nuoro with Longino Rosas in the 1960s and 1970s, and to Carlo Spiga, a historic figure in Oristano volleyball, a coach from the 1960s to the 1990s who guided entire generations of volleyball players. Honoring the figures of Ninni Careddu (historical President of the Nuoro Committee) and Gaetano Pitzolu (former President of the Oristano Committee) will be an important moment for us to thank those who have dedicated their lives to the federal organization of our country." The ceremony on Sunday, October 4th, will be preceded on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. by a school sports event organized by the Physical Education Office with the Oristano 1-2 Comprehensive School in Piazza Manno.
