"This snow volleyball event, which is the first to be organised directly by our Committee, will pave the way for the addition of this discipline among the options for the 2025 Games," Turin 2025 President Alessandro Ciro Sciretti said.

"Turin and Piedmont are also proving to be a land of innovation in the field of sport, snow volleyball has amazed me and I am happy that one of the optional disciplines for 2025 will not be an addition to an already existing historical discipline, but a new sport altogether." 

The Italian University Sports Centre (CUSI) have already launched talks with FISU and representatives of the Turin University Sports Centre (CUS Torino) have also discussed the project with Italia Snow Volley President Matteo Carlon.

"I like to think that after this presentation we will try to officially propose it as an optional sport in Turin 2025," CUS Torino President Riccardo D’Elicio, also a deputy vice-president of Turin 2025, said.

"This can help ski resorts in something that even just five years ago seemed unthinkable."

The #TO25 Snow Volleyball Festival, organised in conjunction with Snow Volley Italia, is scheduled to begin on Saturday (March 18) with a Festival Tournament held at the Campo Smith resort in Bardonecchia.

The men's tournament is set to feature teams from Poland, Czech Republic, France and host nation Italy. 

The women's competition will feature four teams, including Italian volleyball and beach volleyball champions.

Teams of three will compete in a knockout format with semi-finals scheduled for Saturday.

Italian champion Anna Dalmazzo began playing volleyball before switching to beach volleyball at university and is set to compete this weekend alongside fellow champions Sara Breidenbach and Sofia Arcaini.

"Last year I also tried the transition to snow, it is a joy to practise this sport for three different disciplines," Dalmazzo said.

"It seems like a similar sport, but the dynamics change or other unforeseen events, we all know how much the magic of snow attracts, so being able to bring this sport to the mountains is very nice, even for those who have never been close to skiing and snowboarding."

A King and Queen of the Court tournament, an idea borrowed from beach volleyball, has been arranged for Sunday (march 19) morning.

This is an open competition which organisers have described as "a winner-takes-all format " with 15-minute elimination rounds. 

"This is an innovative format brought by beach volleyball that we will present for the first time in Italy and on the snow, fun is guaranteed," said Carlon.

The finals of the #TO25 Snow Volley Festival Tournament are scheduled to conclude on Sunday afternoon.

"Snow volleyball is a young, innovative and festive sport," Bardonecchia Deputy Mayor and Sports Councillor Vittorio Montabone claimed.

"In addition to sport, there is also the more playful side, we therefore welcome this kind of event." 

Apres ski events and a celebratory party have also been programmed for the weekend.

The idea of including snow volleyball had been suggested by students from Turin Polytechnic and developed by Mauro Berruto who coached Italy’s bronze medal-winning team at London 2012.

The first snow volleyball tournament in Italy was organised in 2015 at Prato Nevoso, some 200 kilometres from Bardonecchia and has since become a regular event.

The 2025 World University Games are scheduled to begin on January 13 2025.

The Winter Games were last held in Turin in 2007, but the city also staged the first Summer University Games to be held under the auspices of FISU in 1959.