Double gold for Lithuania at EEVZA zonal event in Tbilisi

Teams from Lithuania claimed top honours from the men’s and women’s competition at the Zonal Tour event co-hosted by the Eastern European Volleyball Zonal Association (EEVZA) and the Georgian Volleyball Federation this past week in Tbilisi. The competition finished on Sunday at the Ambassadori venue, and the tournament was a good opportunity for people from Tbilisi as well as from the neighbouring areas to watch some high-quality Beach Volleyball. Teams from six countries featured in the event, which lasted for four days. 

Two teams from Lithuania contested the men’s bronze medal match with Karolis Palubinskas and Saulius Vilkelis eventually emerging victorious 2-1 (21-16, 19-21, 15-6). Lithuania’s Arnas Rumsevicius and Mantas Donela needed two sets only (21-13, 21-19) to win the grand finale against their opponents from Latvia, Bruno Bulgacs/Ernests Gutmanis. 

There was much interest in the women’s bronze medal game featuring two teams from Georgia where Lizzy Irine Lobzhanidze and Ana Diasamidze beat their compatriots Mariami Mukasashvili/Irina Tchelidze 25-23, 21-19. Lithuanian siblings Gerta Grudzinskaite/Rugile Grudzinskaite emerged victorious from a close final match with Latvia’s Anija Ozolina/Beate Liepajniece (22-20, 25-23) to secure a second gold medal for the Baltic country. 

Georgia has gained a valuable experience from hosting this wonderful competition and on the final day many youngsters were invited in hopes that they would fall in love with the sport. With the help of the young referees and young staff members involved this past week, the organisers hope they can raise the level of event delivery in Georgia and can expand the number of Beach Volleyball lovers. As the Kartvela Cup has been held annually in Georgia since 2009, it has gained many followers and many supporters over the years. With the sponsorship of the Sports Ministry, Ambassadori Kachreti and with the support of Red Bull and Bakuriani, the event was much fun and a great experience for all involved. It ended with the medal ceremony where the top teams received medals and trophies presented by the Ambassadori Sports complex representative, as well as by officials from the Sports Ministry and the Georgian Volleyball Federation.