Portuguese teams reign supreme at AFVCPLP Beach Volleyball Tournament

This past weekend, Portugal emerged as the big winners of the 1st AFVCPLP Beach Volleyball Tournament organised at the Portuguese Volleyball Federation’s (FPV) Beach Volleyball High Performance Centre in Cortegaça. The tournament featured teams from Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, and São Tomé and Príncipe. More experienced in international Beach Volleyball than their colleagues from other Portuguese-speaking countries, the hosts were awarded gold medals in both the men’s and women’s categories.

In the men’s competition, João Pedrosa and Hugo Campos, three-time national champions, easily defeated the Mozambican team José Mondlame and Osvaldo Mungoi (2-0; 21-13, 21-15). The bronze medal went to national runners-up, brothers Gonçalo and Tomás Sousa, who overcame Nhan-Namat Matta and Seco Mossa from Guinea-Bissau (2-0; 21-10, 21-16).

In the women’s competition, in an all-Portuguese final, Gabriela Coelho and Mariana Maia outperformed another strong duo, Daniela Loureiro/Raquel Lacerda (2-1; 21-14, 15-21, 15-13). Finishing in third place were the Cape Verdean sisters Ludmila Varela and Janice Varela, who defeated the Mozambican pair Ângela Tembe and Vanessa Muianga 2-0 (21-18, 21-17). 

All tournament information is available here. 

The Association of Volleyball Federations of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (AFVCPLP) aims to foster exchange among its members and promote the development of the sport. Founded on July 17, 1996, in Lisbon, the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries is an international organisation formed by Portuguese-speaking countries, with the objective of “deepening mutual friendship and cooperation among its members.”

The Beach Volleyball High Performance Centre (CARVP) of the Portuguese Volleyball Federation is a sports facility equipped with the best conditions for practicing Beach Volleyball. It has already hosted the finals of National Beach Volleyball Circuits and the Veterans’ Championship, as well as training camps for various foreign teams from countries such as Israel, Venezuela, England, Paraguay, Belgium, and Cape Verde, and stages of international Beach Volleyball circuits.

The CARVP, which serves as a logistical base for national teams and for observation training sessions as part of the talent scouting and detection process in Beach Volleyball and for organising national and international events, continues to expand its influence while also allowing other interested parties to use its facilities.

In this way, the FPV promotes open training sessions for scouting athletes to supply the National Beach Volleyball Teams (for athletes duly affiliated with the FPV), while also making training slots available to the general community at the Cortegaça Sports Pavilion.