Where Champions Are Made: Jurmala
Editorial
Every up-and-coming beach volleyball player in Latvia knows it – if they want to keep moving their careers forward and become part of the elite of the sport, sooner or later, Jurmala is the place where they need to be.
The city located at the shores of the Baltic Sea has hosted the first beach volleyball tournament in Latvia more than 30 years ago and since then the Majori Beach has become the heart of the sport in the country – and the unofficial training facility for the top Latvian players.
Anastasija Kravcenoka“I moved from my hometown Daugavpils in 2016 to practice with Aigars Birzulis, who’s one of the top Latvian coaches. It’s the best spot in the country because of the natural sand and the wind, which changes a lot. Anyone can practice there but all national team players currently use the courts. It’s really nice to return there every summer and see everything remains the same.”
Latvian Beach Volleyball Player
The setup at Majori Beach is fairly simple, but equally efficient. The area used by the players has no more than six courts, a set of stands and a small changing room for them to prepare for their activities. It is a pretty pleasant location to be at, though, as the courts are sandwiched between the sea and the Lielupe River and were built right next to the Dzintari Forest Park.
Another positive of Majori Beach is the fact that it’s located no more than 20 kilometers away from the country’s capital Riga, where the 24-year-old Kravcenoka, a 2019 EuroBeachVolley winner and a Tokyo 2020 Olympic semifinalist, and most of the other top Latvian players live.
Anastasija Kravcenoka“The sand is really soft, which is great, and the fact that the courts are just by the forest makes it feel really fresh there. And being so close to Riga, it gives us easy access to all resources offered by the Latvian Olympic Committee and anything else we may need, so it’s really convenient.”
Latvian Beach Volleyball Player
All those factors have led Majori Beach to become a popular hotspot for beach volleyball in Europe over the last years. Since 2014, the area has hosted as many as six continental events, including the 2017 and 2020 editions of the EuroBeachVolley, and a World Tour stop in 2019.
Anastasija Kravcenoka“I’ve played in a few of those events and it’s always been really nice. The area is really beautiful, the sand is very good and I think the Latvian Federation does a really good job in hosting events. We get a lot of spectators coming to the beach to support their favorite teams and the atmosphere is always very fun.”
Latvian Beach Volleyball Player
Not many sports are as simple to play as beach volleyball. A ball and a net are all it takes to play the sport at the amateur level. For the professionals, however, having an efficient training facility is a mandatory condition for success due to the high level the sport has reached over the last 30 years. European beach volleyball teams are no exception and one of the nicest things about it is that players can find exactly what they need in a variety of different setups. Our series “Where Champions Are Made” will present some of the most popular beach volleyball training facilities in the continent.