Lausanne, Switzerland, June 20, 2018 – Volleyball is set to become a social media hit with tens of millions more Chinese fans as the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) launches its official WeChat account, ahead of this month’s Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Women’s Finals in Nanjing.
国际排球联合会FIVB, the name of the official account, will offer fans more access to the latest news, photos and clips from their favourite players, as well as exclusive content throughout the VNL Finals. Fans will also be able to interact with each other, providing an opportunity to create an online volleyball community within China.
“There is a huge passion for volleyball in China and we are seeing that grow more and more each day,” FIVB President Ary Graça said. “China has hosted a number of elite events in recent years, and with the VNL Women’s Finals coming up, there has never been a better time to launch our official WeChat account!”
In March 2018, WeChat, which is owned and operated by Tencent, hit 1 billion monthly active users for the first time since its inception.
Volleyball is committed to continually improving fan experience through technological innovation, and has shown this through a number of advancements demonstrated during the VNL. As well as the Volleyball app, which is supported by tech-giant Microsoft, the FIVB has also partnered with IMG, bringing video production in-house to ensure the highest quality of content for fans across the globe.
Earlier this month, the FIVB announced that Australian superstar DJ pairing NERVO will perform at both the women’s and men’s Finals, as well as releasing a song, “Worlds Collide”, to promote the VNLs.
Only six teams per gender qualify for the VNL Finals and competition has been fierce. China (hosts), Brazil, the Netherlands, USA, Serbia and Turkey have qualified for the women’s edition, which will take place from 27 June - 1 July in Nanjing. The last round of the men’s qualifying pools takes place this weekend, with all five places in the Finals still to play for. The Finals will take place in Lille, France, from 4 - 8 July.
Scan the QR code below to download the WeChat app.
