HIGH EXPECTATIONS AT TIMMENDORF

European Championship Final

Timmendorfer Strand/Luxembourg, June 10, 2004. A group of five good-humored men showed up at the press conference in the VIP-lounge of the European Championship Final with Nik Berger and Clemens Doppler up front.

The reigning European champions from Austria highly praised the organization of the Continental Beach Volleyball Championships held on the coast of the Baltic Sea. “The standard here is comparable to the standard that we are used to from the Grand-Slam tournament in Klagenfurt”, Berger also enthusiastically spoke about the “Southern flair at the Baltic Sea”.
Live pictures from the Beach Volleyball athletes’ performances are guaranteed to be viewed world-wide. Eurosport will broadcast the European Championship Final to the European audience, whereas ESPN is responsible for the world-wide dissemination. “The TV-coverage on the Italian Open in Roseto degli Abruzzi reached 120 nations”, commented Heinz Schurtenberger, Chairman of the Global Sports Marketing agency (GSM), who is expecting an even higher demand for the European Championships.
Such impressive figures surely put a smile on the organizer’s face. However, in order to keep the spirit alive, the sport’s vice-president of the German Volleyball Federation (DVV), Götz Moser, would like to see some medals: “I would like to see Dieckmann/Reckermann in the men and Lahme/Müsch in the women to climb the podium”. Clemens Doppler sees no problem there, commenting “I don’t mind Dieckmann/Reckermann reaching the final as long as they lose against us.”
Volker Popp, the mayor of Timmendorf, would prefer veterans Jörg Ahmann and Axel Hager to snatch a medal, declaring to have followed their entire career for so many years thus having developed "an emotional bond.” The European Championship Final poses an “entirely new experience” to Popp, who also organizes the German Beach Volleyball Championships each year. “The international atmosphere is beneficial to our community”, he states, “I would be more than happy to see the European Series stage an annual tournament at Timmendorf that could prove as successful as the German Championships.”

Background information on the European Championship Tour
The European Championship Tour is the highest ranked series of European Beach Volleyball tournaments that promotes the sport and its star players on a European level. The series of tournaments culminates into the European Championship Final as the season's highlight.
For further information please visit www.eurobeachtour.com and/or contact the Communication Managers of the European Championship Tour Klaus Wegener and Felix Meininghaus at communications@eurobeachtour.com.

Background information on the Confédération Européenne de Volleyball
The CEV is the FIVB supporting institution responsible for governing 54 National Volleyball Federations throughout Europe and is recognised as such by the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) for Volleyball and Beach Volleyball. The CEV has the authority and responsibility for organising all European Competitions, especially the European Championship Tour (Men & Women).
For further information please contact the CEV Head Office in Luxembourg, Olivier Mottier at olivier.mottier@cev.lu or + 352 25 46 46 25.

Background information on Global Sports Marketing Ltd. (GSM)
GSM is dedicated to the development and implementation of innovation in sports and entertainment. The company positions and markets international sports and entertainment properties on behalf of the respective rights-holders. Besides, it offers all services related to the marketing of commercial rights - media, sponsorship and licensing/merchandising rights as well as development of sports brands. GSM, based in Zurich (Switzerland) develops, promotes and markets the European Championship Tour within a long-term partnership with the European Volleyball Confederation CEV.
For further information please contact Global Sports Marketing, Christian Scholbrock at christian.scholbrock@gsmglobalsports.com or +41 43 244 9977.

LIVE scoreboard from the stadium in Timmendorf (10.-13. June 2004): www.eurobeachtour.com -> Scoreboard