Lausanne, Switzerland, May 26, 2016 – Laurent Tillie will be the France men’s coach for the next four years after signing an extension to his contract on Thursday.
The 52-year-old took the helm in 2012 and since then has led the side to their first FIVB Volleyball World League title in 2015 as well as the European Championship.
The new contract will see Tillie remain in charge of the French team until the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
He is currently in Japan with the world No.10 side at the World Olympic Qualification Tournament, hoping to take France to a first Olympics since Athens 2004.
“It is a pleasure for me to register again in a medium-long term project,” Tillie said. “With the results we've had over the last two years, it is nice to include in the timeline other targets.
“For me it will be a new experience, since we now have a new status to defend: the world awaits us, we want to permanently settle at a very high level, it is a very interesting challenge. This extension is a brand of trust, I am really satisfied. “
France Volleyball Federation president Eric Tanguy echoed Tillie’s thoughts.
“He told me his desire to continue his mission, and for my part, I expressed to him the desire remains from the French Federation of Volleyball to continue this beautiful story to the head of the France team, which is young and has not yet reached full maturity,” he explained. “There is quite a project to develop by the Tokyo Games in 2020 and I wanted Laurent Tillie as he embodies this project.”