Commentary by Manuel Silvério
Independent Sports Analyst and Regional Development Consultant
(Former senior public official with extensive international experience and a long-standing commitment to public policy and sports development)
The return of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Finals to Macau last week was a momentous occasion.For many, it simply marked the return of some of the world’s finest national teams. For others, myself included, it was an opportunity to reflect on how a major international sporting event can help shape the development of a city.
For around three decades, international volleyball has brought Macau far more than outstanding matches. It has helped educate generations of young people, trained sports administrators and technical professionals, fostered new forms of cooperation with the private sector, projected Macau onto the international stage, and laid the foundations for a culture of organising major international events that continues to benefit the city today.
Long before the establishment of the Macao SAR, the territory had already begun to establish its international sporting reputation through the FIVB* World Grand Prix. In 1994, thanks to the decisive support of my friend and mentor Wei Zizhong – a prominent FIVB leader and one of the most respected figures in international sports diplomacy –Macau succeeded in bringing this prestigious competition to the territory. At the time, few could have imagined that it would become one of the longest-running and most significant international sporting projects in Macau’s history.
Over the following three decades, Macau regularly hosted FIVB World Grand Prix tournaments, staged the World Finals on two occasions, and naturally accompanied the evolution of the competition into today’s Volleyball Nations League. Yet its greatest legacy was never confined to what happened on the court.
Every edition became a learning experience.
Macau learned how to negotiate international television broadcasting and commercial rights, attract private sponsorship, combine public and private investment, work with international media organisations, and meet the demanding technical standards required by one of the world’s leading sports federations.
The medal and trophy presentation ceremonies, conducted in accordance with the FIVB’s rigorous protocol, also became a valuable learning platform. Many of the procedures later adopted during the 2005 East Asian Games, the 2006 Lusofonia Games, and the 2007 Asian Indoor Games were first tested and refined through international volleyball.
The event also marked the beginning of a new relationship between Macau and the private sector. For the first time, systematic negotiations were conducted for both financial sponsorship and in-kind support, bringing together local and international companies in a genuine, city-wide project.
At the same time, thousands of hours of international television coverage brought Macau into millions of homes across the world – long before international promotion became an explicit public policy objective.
The greatest investment was never financial; it was an investment in people.
Hundreds of secondary school students volunteered at the event, many experiencing a major international sporting competition for the first time. Some formed the national flags during the opening ceremonies using traditional card displays. Others served as ball retrievers, line judges, electronic scorers, interpreters, team assistants, hospitality staff, and protocol assistants.
Without realising it, they were acquiring skills that would remain with them throughout their lives.
The same was true of many officials from what was then the Macau Sports Development Board. For an entire generation of professionals, international volleyball became a genuine school of event organisation, protocol, logistics, international relations, and teamwork.
Today, many of those former volunteers and technical staff continue to serve Macau in public administration, sports associations, private companies, and numerous areas of community life. The experience they gained through volleyball remains embedded in the city’s development.
Perhaps that is the true meaning of legacy.
A sporting event comes to an end.
Its human impact remains.
Looking back over this journey, it becomes clear that the FIVB World Grand Prix was far more than an annual sporting competition. It became a long-term rehearsal for much greater challenges, laying the foundations for Macau to organise major multi-sport events in the years that followed.
The experience accumulated over those years enabled Macau, after the establishment of the Macao SAR, to host the 2005 East Asian Games, the 2006 Lusofonia Games, and the 2007 Asian Indoor Games successfully. What today may appear natural was built patiently over time through continuous learning, constant refinement of procedures, and, above all, the development of people.
None of this happened by chance. It was the result of the combined efforts of local Portuguese administration, the Macao SAR Government, sports associations, sponsors, volunteers, and thousands of residents who believed that sport could play a vital role in projecting Macau onto the international stage.
The benefits were also felt across the local economy.
Over the years, the event created opportunities for companies involved in staging, production, transport, hospitality, catering, translation, media, advertising, security, and many other specialised services. For numerous small and medium-sized local enterprises, international volleyball provided valuable commercial opportunities while helping them acquire expertise in servicing major international events.
For that very reason, I believe it is now appropriate to reflect on how this collective legacy should be managed.
As society evolves, it is only natural that new organisational models emerge and that the private sector assumes greater responsibility in delivering major events. Such developments can be positive and should, in many respects, be welcomed.
However, when an international event that has helped shape Macau’s global image over more than three decades begins operating under a different model, public authorities must maintain a clear, long-term strategy to preserve, support, and maximise the value of that collective legacy.
This is not about questioning who organises the event today, nor does it diminish the important contribution made by the Volleyball Association of Macao, China, together with its partners, in delivering the competition.
Rather, it is about ensuring that an international sporting product built over more than thirty years through public investment, accumulated expertise, and the dedication of successive generations remains integrated into Macau’s broader development strategy.
A major sporting event is never simply a few days of competition. It represents international relationships, specialised knowledge, professional development, employment opportunities, economic value, and a reputation that takes decades to build.
For that reason, the management of this collective legacy should not depend solely on the success of each individual edition. It should form part of an overarching strategy capable of continuing to benefit the whole community.
A few days ago, I came across a simple but meaningful example of that legacy. My son Daniel shared several photographs on social media taken when he was still a teenager alongside some of the world’s greatest volleyball players who had competed in Macau. He wrote that it was through those experiences that he fell in love with the sport, began training and competing, met people from many different countries, and formed friendships that remain strong today.
I believe he is far from being the only one. Like many young people in Macau, he found in volleyball much more than a sport. He found a school of life where he learned the values of respect, teamwork, discipline, and fair play.
Perhaps that is the greatest legacy international volleyball has left to Macau.
The arenas empty.
The matches end.
Champions change.
Yet the people shaped by those experiences remain. So do the technical professionals whose careers began there, the volunteers who discovered new vocations, and a city that gained the confidence to organise some of the most significant international sporting events in its history.
That is why major sporting events should never be judged solely by spectator numbers, television audiences, or their immediate economic impact. Their true value lies in their ability to develop people, accumulate knowledge, strengthen institutions, and create opportunities that continue to benefit society long after the final whistle.
Now, as the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) has returned once again to Macau, it is worth remembering that this remarkable journey began more than 30 years ago.
Sport ends.
Legacy remains.
It is now the responsibility of today’s institutions, public leaders and future generations to preserve and build upon this collective legacy. Only then can Macau continue to establish itself as an open, globally connected hub capable of transforming major sporting events into lasting opportunities for human, social and economic development
End
The Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) is the international governing body for all forms of volleyball, including indoor volleyball and beach volleyball.
Established in 1947 in Paris by 14 founding nations, the federation has grown significantly and now represents 222 National Federations across five continents. Its headquarters have been located in Lausanne, Switzerland since 1984, placing it close to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The FIVB’s mission is to promote and develop the sport globally, positioning it as a major media and entertainment attraction. In 2024, the FIVB launched the Volleyball Foundation to support community and social development projects through the sport. – DeepSeek, MPD
