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"Building a legacy": How FIVB bolsters Brisbane 2032 ambition
SEN • November 14th, 2025 11:56 am
Volleyball Australia President Craig Carracher has reinforced the importance of events like the world championships in Adelaide to ensure Australia remain a part of the sport’s legacy.
Twenty-five years on from Nat Cook and Kerri Pottharst winning gold for Australia at the Sydney Olympics, the biggest names in the sport have arrived in Adelaide for the 10-day championships.
It is the first time the event has ever taken place on Asian Volleyball Confederation territory and it will play a huge role in Australia’s journey to hosting the Brisbane Olympics in 2032.
“Four years ago I managed to convince the then-president that we had done enough for volleyball and we wanted to host the world championships," Carracher told SEN Breakfast.
“We are a multi-Olympic medallist teams. Sydney is part of the legacy of the sport. We had five teams there and we have nine here.
“25 years from now we will still be talking about this event in Adelaide.
“The Aussie teams are in pretty good shape; we’re not dominating but we’re preparing for LA.
“We have our Paris Olympians here, we need to outperform what we did in Paris. We played for a medal but didn’t win a medal, we finished fourth and it’s the worst spot to finish.
“They come here hungry and now they want the worlds; we’ve never won better than bronze”
Adelaide’s city centre has been transformed for the event at The Drive and Pinky Flat, where more than 4,000 tonnes of sand has been trucked in.
Adelaide’s city centre has been transformed for the event at The Drive and Pinky Flat, where more than 4,000 tonnes of sand has been trucked in.
A record nine Australian teams will take part, including Olympic silver medallist Taliqua Clancy, Paris Olympians Izac Carracher, Mark Nicolaidis, Tom Hodges, Zach Schubert, Commonwealth Games gold medallist Paul Burnett and 12 senior World Championships debutants.
“We’ve been here a couple of months to get this sorted,” Carracher continued.
“Adelaide is transformed. Locals will be shocked when they get here and see it, they are going to love it.
“It looks awesome down here, what a great spectacle, it looks extraordinary.”
Echoing Carracher’s sentiments, South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas was thrilled the city had been given the opportunity to be shown off on the world stage.
“There was a competition in the market for this event, and we knew we could do this better,” he said.
“We’ve got 4000 tonnes of sand to create the courts in this iconic venue. Beach volleyball is on the rise globally and anything that draw attention to our state which is on the rise, we will accommodate.”
Asked if he would be stripping off and taking to a court, Malinauskas added: “I don’t want my chicken legs exposed as much as that, I need to stop skipping leg day in the gym.”
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