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Beach Volleyball News
Aleksandar Boričić“We wish to provide more opportunities for Beach Volleyball players to perform at the highest level and we are confident that this truly unique format will deliver a real show enjoyed by players, fans and media alike."
Vienna has established itself as a real Beach Volleyball hotspot – a success story that started with the magnificent 2017 edition of the FIVB World Championships, followed by Major Series events and last year’s EuroBeachVolley. This time Vienna and the iconic Heumarkt will provide the stage for the CEV BeachVolley Nations Cup – a competition introduced for the very first time to crown the top Beach Volleyball nation in Europe in each gender! The country vs. country format will add further excitement to the Beach Volleyball fiesta that fans and players alike have become familiar with at events organised by promoter ACTS.
This year’s competition will feature eight nations per gender – the top seven from the CEV Ranking plus hosts Austria. Shall Austria feature among the top seven, the next best country from the ranking will join the field as well.
The journey of all nations – represented by two pairs in each gender – will start with a pool phase, where the top teams from each country will lock horns after their lower-ranked teammates have contested the first matchup. If the double-header ends with one victory apiece, a Golden Set will determine the eventual winners of each tie – with the head of the respective delegation able to decide which combination of players will contest the all-important Golden Set. The winners of each pool progress straight to the semis – where they will play those emerging victorious from crossed playoff matches featuring the nations finishing second and third in each pool. The finals will crown the best nation in men’s and women’s Beach Volleyball, respectively.
Hannes Jagerhofer“I am very pleased that we can once again offer the best fans in the world something absolutely new, this time even a world premiere!”
CEV President Aleksandar Boričić, the Vienna City Councillor for Finance Peter Hanke, and representatives of title sponsor A1 all attended the press conference held on Thursday at the Hotel InterContinental in Vienna to share details of this exciting, newly added competition. The BeachVolley Nations Cup further enriches the CEV’s portfolio and represents the outcome of an extensive dialogue with the many stakeholders involved in the Beach Volleyball Think Tank and a concept fully endorsed by the CEV Board of Administration.
All pictures courtesy of ACTS/Alex Forst.