The first edition of the AVC Gala is now in history. On Saturday evening, the first AVC Gala Awards were presented at a glamorous ceremony held in Bangkok, while Thailand’s capital hosts the 26th Asian Volleyball Confederation General Assembly with FIVB President Fabio Azevedo among the honorable guests.
The AVC launched the AVC Gala 2026 as a landmark celebration designed to honor athletes and coaches, who delivered exceptional performances throughout the 2025 AVC season. Created with the mission of celebrating Asian volleyball excellence, the inaugural AVC Gala recognized the individuals whose achievements, dedication, and contributions have helped elevate the sport across the continent. Fans from across Asia were also able to take part in the selection process through public voting.
The AVC Gala 2026 featured awards across multiple categories in volleyball and beach volleyball. An AVC Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to former FIVB President Wei Jizhong of China.
Volleyball
Two Japanese siblings claimed both the awards for Outstanding Women’s Volleyball Player and for Outstanding Men’s Volleyball Player. Mayu Ishikawa, the captain of Japan’s women’s national team, was not able to attend the ceremony in Bangkok, but her older brother Yuki Ishikawa, the captain of Japan’s men’s national team, was there to accept the honors on behalf of both of them.
Iconic Korean player Kim Yeon Koung (pictured in the main photo; source: AVC – Asian Volleyball Confederation) was honored as an AVC Ambassador for her remarkable career achievements and contribution to volleyball.
Ferhat Akbas, the Turkish head coach of the Japanese women’s national team, was recognized as Volleyball Coach of the Year.
Chinese volleyball icon Zhu Ting was voted Fans’ Choice Women’s Volleyball Player, while Filipino volleyball star Bryan Bagunas was awarded as the Fans’ Choice Men’s Volleyball Player.
Yuliya Akulova of Kazakhstan was named Volleyball Referee of the Year.
Beach Volleyball
Japan’s Asami Shiba & Reika Murakami were recognized as the Outstanding Women’s Beach Volleyball Players, while Qatari standouts Cherif Younousse & Ahmed Tijan took the equivalent prize in the men’s beach volleyball category.
The Fans’ Choice Women’s Beach Volleyball Award and the Fans’ Choice Men’s Beach Volleyball Award went to Philippines’ Cherry Ann Rosales & Bernadeth Pons and Iran’s Abbas Pourasgari & Alireza Aghajanighasab, respectively.
China’s Wang Lijun was named Beach Volleyball Referee of the Year.
Special Citations
The FIVB and Volleyball World were recognized as Strategic Partners, while Grand Sport and Mikasa were presented as sponsors.
AVC Legacy awards were presented to Ary Graca, Rita Subowo, Saleh Ahmad Bin Nasser and Shanrit Wongprasert.
AVC Posthumous Awards were granted to Mariko Satomi, Tomas Santamaria and Yim Hyung Bin.
The event host organizers of the various world championships held in Asia during 2025 were honored: the Australian Volleyball Federation, the Thailand Volleyball Association, the Philippine Sports Commission, the China Volleyball Association, the Persatuan Bola Voli Seluruh Indonesia, the Volleyball Federation of Uzbekistan and the Qatar Volleyball Association.
So were the event host organizers of 2025 AVC events: the Bahrain Volleyball Association, the China Volleyball Association, the Chinese Taipei Volleyball Association, the SV.League, the Jordan Volleyball Federation, the Philippine Sports Commission, the Premier Volleyball League, the Qatar Volleyball Association, the Thailand Volleyball Association, and the Volleyball Federation of Vietnam.
The five AVC zonal associations – the Central Asian Volleyball Association, the Eastern Asian Volleyball Association, the Oceania Asian Volleyball Association, the Southeast Asian Volleyball Association and the Western Asian Volleyball Association – as well as the Thailand Volleyball Association, were also presented at the ceremony.
