He was unanimously voted in by the IVHF Board of Directors and was informed of the honour via a face-to-face call from the Executive Director, prior to the organisation’s publication of their full list of inductees for 2026.
Le Breuilly was included in the Leader category and is the first individual from Great Britain to be inducted.
He was previously inducted into the Volleyball England Hall of Fame in 2024 and was the first to be awarded Honorary Life Membership of World ParaVolley in 2018, the latter being the sole International Federation responsible for volleyball for athletes with a physical impairment.
Whilst still involved with Volleyball England, as both a referee and administrator, Le Breuilly was first introduced to Sitting Volleyball whilst at Crystal Palace officiating a Volleyball England Men’s Cup Final.
He qualified as an International Sports Organization for the Disabled International Referee in 1992, and, after 10 years as an international official, he was required to retire having reached the age limit of 55.
In his final year as a referee, he was appointed first referee for the Volleyball England Men’s National Final, the World Standing ParaVolley Cup Final in Slovakia and the European Women’s Sitting Volleyball Cup Final in Hungary.
On retiring from officiating, Le Breuilly held numerous roles within the International Federation, including Secretary of Referee Commission, Team Leader/Chair of Awards Committee, Chairman of Rules Commission, Chairman of Constitution Committee, Interim General Manager, Senior Staff Tutor and Coach/Mentor, Senior Staff Tutor (Technical Officials) and Technical Commission Member – Human Resources.
In his letter of support of the World ParaVolley Board’s nomination of Le Breuilly, former World ParaVolley President Barry Couzner OAM said: “After retiring from active refereeing, Mr Le Breuilly joined the Board of World ParaVolley as Sport Director.
“In this role, he provided the necessary leadership that “saved” the discipline of sitting volleyball from being excluded from the Paralympic Games, by working on the Anti-Doping requirements of WADA and the Classification requirements of the International Paralympic Committee.
“Mr Le Breuilly ensured that the discipline remained in the Paralympic Games where it has thrived as a major attraction to this day.”
In 2010 the International Paralympic Committee had appointed Le Breuilly as the Technical Delegate, responsible for the planning, delivery and presentation of Sitting Volleyball at the London 2012 Paralympics.
Following the outstanding success of the event, IPC also appointed him to oversee the Rio 2016 competition where spectators voted Sitting Volleyball the most exciting and entertaining sport of the Paralympic Games.
Le Breuilly has always emphasised his love of refereeing all volleyball disciplines, but particularly Sitting Volleyball.
Though he is being recognised for his contribution, he says the honour is founded on the support received from many colleagues, mentors and friends along the long road of almost 50 years involvement with volleyball and 35 years with ParaVolley.
Volleyball england Chief Executive Officer, Charlie Ford, said: “I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Denis on his induction into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame.
“This is an incredibly well-deserved honour and a fitting recognition of his extraordinary contribution to volleyball and para sport over so many decades.
"His dedication, leadership and passion for the sport, particularly in Sitting Volleyball, as well as his tireless service to the international volleyball community, have had a profound and lasting impact on countless athletes, officials, and organisations around the world.
“To see him recognised as the first individual from Great Britain to receive this honour makes the achievement even more special.”
In particular, he would like to thank the sacrifices, love and guiding influence of wife Pauline and daughters Lisa and Clare.
The International Volleyball Hall of Fame 2026 Induction weekend is set to take place on 16th and 17th October in Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA – the birthplace of volleyball.
