CAÑON REYES Geni Tunney – COL (PVPA)
Geni Tunney is the ParaVolley Pan America Development Director
He started working with WOVD in 2010, in preparation for Colombia’s participation in the Guadalajara 2011 Parapan American Games. The project had already started in 2008 in the health battalion of the Colombian army with men amputated by explosive devices. He had had previous academic experience in the City of Havana, Cuba from 2006 to 2007. It was at that time that the foundations for the project entitled ‘Sitting Volleyball in Colombia’ had been set.
The person who influenced his decision to work in sitting volleyball was his university degree thesis professor: Professor Argelio Pascual Hernández, professor of the Cuban Volleyball Federation and FIVB instructor, who in volleyball classes guided him to believe volleyball, whatever the form practiced, must generate a social and academic impact. Thus his degree work resulted with “Anthropometric characteristics of the Male and Female Youth team of the ESFAR of Havana City”. Professor Gaspar Jaca Echavarria, a Cuban sitting volleyball teacher, encouraged him to carry out the same work with the sitting volleyball team and it was then that the interest in sitting volleyball became part of his life.
Event involvement:
2011- Guadalajara,Mexico – Parapan American Games -Head Coach – fourth place
2012 – Cairo/Egypt – Intercontinental Cup – Head Coach.
2013- San Jose/Costa Rica – Paracentral American Games – Head Coach – Silver Medal
2015 – Toronto/Canada – Parapan American Games – Head Coach- fourth place
2019 – Lima/Peru – Parapan American Games – Head Coach- Fourth place.
He has been involved in the fields of Coaching (2008-present), Research (2013 to present), and event organisation (2011-2019).
Awards received:
World ParaVolley Recognition Award for having made a significant contribution to the promotion and development of sitting volleyball as an International Coach
Recognition by The Congress of the Republic of Colombia for the development of sitting volleyball.
“Geni Tunney is solely responsible for reaching out and recruiting 7 countries within the Pan America Zone and securing their membership of WPV. He has arranged webinars for leaders of each country to speak with PVPA Board members so they could ask questions, and we could provide them with relevant educational information as well as membership requirements. He also travelled to 3 or 4 nations and provided coach/player training/education in order to help these countries to begin their programs.
“His contributions have had a major impact on the growth of the Pan American Zone. He has personally impacted more than 200 players and possibly 30+ coaches with his outreach to the 7 countries, and he continues to recruit nations.”
– Joe Campbell PVPA President