The Dominican Volleyball Federation’s “I want to be a Queen” national women’s volleyball team project has set a new milestone by welcoming a record number of 2,203 young girls and women at the Volleyball Pavilion in Santo Domingo.
The project invites young girls and women from across the country to see if they have what it takes to become “A Queen of the Caribbean” - aka. a member of the national women’s team - in the future.
FIVB 1st Executive Vice-President and NORCECA President Mr Cristóbal Marte Hoffiz, who leads the project, and Milagros Cabral, general director, announced that the initiative will award 500 scholarships. This substantial support will extend beyond just sports training, encompassing educational expenses, school supplies, transportation and more.
Hoffiz and Cabral also thanked sponsors such as Malta Morena, GBC pharmacies, Gatorade, and the Economic Cafeterias, who made important contributions to make this third edition of the project a reality.
They emphasised their objective to harness the talent pool for future Olympic cycles, aiming to strengthen the legacy of excellence in women’s volleyball. The notable participation from the Espaillat province (Moca), which sent the highest number of young girls to the Olympic Center, was also celebrated.
The coaching staff of the national teams, as well as several players from the Queens of the Caribbean, engaged in detailed evaluations with all the participants.
“Now with that database, we will make a pre-selection of those athletes to call them for training and to monitor the others,” said Milagros Cabral.
At the event, Dominican Olympic Committee President Garibaldi Bautista congratulated the project for staging its third “I want to be a Queen” call and urged them not to give up, as this will help keep volleyball in the national and international spotlight.