Former India Volleyball Captain Abhijit Bhattacharya wins Global IOC Gender Equality award

Former Indian men’s volleyball captain Abhijit Bhattacharya has been named the Global Winner of the 2025 International Olympic Committee Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champions Award, recognising his work in expanding access to sport in rural India.

The honour highlights Bhattacharya’s grassroots initiatives in Assam, where he has developed community-based volleyball programmes designed to ensure equal participation for girls and boys. Through the Assam Volleyball Mission 100 and the Brahmaputra Volleyball League, his projects have reached more than 12,000 children across 400 teams in villages across the state.

Grassroots Volleyball Movement in Assam

Bhattacharya launched the Assam Volleyball Mission 100 in 2019 with the aim of distributing volleyballs to rural communities. The initiative later expanded into the Brahmaputra Volleyball League, a large community-based competition that now includes multiple age categories for boys and girls.

The programme brings organised sport directly into villages, removing barriers such as travel costs and limited infrastructure that often prevent young athletes, particularly girls, from participating. Teams are registered in equal numbers for boys and girls, and matches are held locally to maintain accessibility.

Alongside the global recognition for Bhattacharya, the International Olympic Committee also named continental winners of the 2025 GEDI Champions Award. The recipients include Racheal Kundananji from Zambia for Africa, Mónica Elvira Franco Luzcando from Panama for the Americas, Kim Yeon-koung of South Korea for Asia, Michele Kang of France for Europe and Robyn Cockburn from New Zealand for Oceania.

The award recognises individuals who have made significant contributions to promoting gender equality, diversity and inclusion through sport at community and international levels.