It has been a little bit over 100 days since Juergen Schrapp was elected as World ParaVolley President and a lot has been happening behind the scenes – so we thought we would update you on the work achieved since he took office and how he has taken to this new role at a crucial point after the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.
Congratulations on reaching the 100-day mark. How has the journey been so far?
Absolutely exciting and intense with many new insights I didn’t have about WPV in my 30 years as athlete.
When you stepped into the role, what were your immediate priorities?
To connect with the entire Board to learn about ongoing priorities in our four zones and our functional board areas. Also very quickly organized some in person meetings with Elvira Stinissen (our new Vice President) to align on immediate priorities.
What surprised you most about the organization or role in those early days?
The trust and support I got from the rest of the board to find my way into this new challenge. A big thank you goes to our GM Phil Allen who very patiently explained a lot of basic stuff to me and Elvira.
What were some of the key decisions you had to make early on, and what guided those choices?
Confirming major events for 2025: The Sitting Volleyball World Cup to be hosted in the USA in October 2025 and the Beach ParaVolley World Championships in Türkiye also in October 2025.
How have you approached building trust and alignment within the WPB Board?
We have increased the board meeting frequency to once per month and we also immediately looked for an opportunity to meet in person as a team with three newly elected members who need to be integrated into the team. Finally we will meet in-person at the European Sitting Volleyball Championships, our biggest Zonal Championship this year, which also gives us the opportunity to be in touch with many member nations.
Every role comes with its learning curve. What’s been the biggest challenge so far?
Juggling between my full-time job and this huge volunteer involvement here at WPV.
Can you share a moment in the past 100 days that taught you something valuable about the organization?
Discussing about the usage of video challenge technology displayed nicely, how we can exchange best practices amongst our regions. While PVE already has experience in using the technology other regions have not used it so far and can benefit from this experience.
What accomplishments from these first 100 days are you most proud of?
That we as board together with the Safeguarding Commission took decisions on open cases and at the same time are working on the next improvements in our processes in this crucial area which is still very new to us.
Have there been any small wins that you think will have a big impact down the road?
Oh yes – Elvira and I had some first discussions with IPC and also FIVB on our collaboration for the future which in both cases were very energizing with lots of ideas on how to further strengthen the collaboration.
We have also entered a partnership with “Let’s Keep The Ball Flying” which champions inclusivity in volleyball aiming to break barriers and create opportunities for athletes with physical impairments worldwide.
Now that the initial phase is behind you, how are you thinking about the next chapter?
It is crucial that we work on a clear strategy for WPV which guides our day-to-day actions. This process was already started before I arrived yet it was on pause for some time. We have now re-activated the dialogue, and this will be one major element of our in-person board meeting in Hungary in July.
What should the organization expect from your leadership going forward?
A clear strategy which puts our athletes at the center – and for sure an activation plan for this strategy.
If you had to sum up your first 100 days in one sentence, what would it be?
Learned a lot and still have to learn more yet now it is about pulling up our sleeves and getting things done.
We can’t wait to see what the future holds for the development of paravolley!