24/06/2012 16:00
Brno prolongs unique tradition by hosting U18 European Champs
2012 CEV U18 Beach Volleyball European Championship
Brno, Czech Republic, June 24, 2012. The city of Brno has got a special connection with Volleyball and has played host to numerous international events, the next on the row being the 2012 CEV U18 Beach Volleyball European Championship that are set to run there in the second largest city of the Czech Republic through this coming July 5-8, 2012.
Volleyball got introduced in Brno right in the second decade of the XX century and the city has been home to some of the most decorated clubs in Czechoslovak history. The “Brno Invitational” used to be one of the most visited outdoor Volleyball tournaments in Czechoslovakia and after the partition whereby the Czech Republic and Slovakia turned into two separate nations, Brno has hosted two final rounds of the women’s European Championship (in 1993 and 1997), junior World and European Championships as well as numerous qualifying events for European and/or World competitions. The city was also home to the “European Spring Cup” tournament which was very prestigious and seen as one of a few major international events regularly taking place in the Czech Republic.
However, Beach Volleyball also found its place in Brno with the sport being gradually introduced by the late ‘80s and the city hosting the first Beach Volleyball club founded in the Czech Republic. Natives of Brno have participated in the Olympic Games, with Michal Palinek representing the Czech Republic in the Olympic tournaments of the Atlanta and Sydney Games in 1996 and 2000, while Sona Novakova-Dosoudilova defended the Czech honors in Sydney and four years later in Athens.
Many more players stemming from Brno have medaled at youth and junior World and European Champs in the past decade, thereby contributing to the great popularity of that sport not only in Brno but also in the Czech Republic.
These results have contributed also the provision of first-class facilities for playing Beach Volleyball that are available right on the banks of the river Svratka, only a few km from the city centre and in a splendid green leisure area. The venue which is officially named “Sokolské koupaliště” but more commonly known as "Sokolak" hosted the MEVZA Championship some ten years ago before the U18 (in 2003 and 2007) and U23 European Championship (in 2004) were held there. An FIVB Challenger tournament (see picture) was also held in Brno through 2006-2008 with the last edition claimed by a Brazilian pair including 2011 World champion Alison Cerutti.
The next stop of this success story is the U18 European Championship coming up in a couple of weeks and the organizers do hope this will stretch the great tradition Brno has gradually built up in hosting major international events. Young players representing 21 and 24 countries in the men’s and women’s division respectively will battle it out starting with the Pool play to make it to the knock-out phase whereby the medalists will be determined on Sunday, July 8.
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