GREAT EXPECTATIONS FOR THE SPANISH OPEN

European Championship Tour 2004

Luxembourg, September 6, 2004. Following the Olympic Games in Athens, where two European teams stood out despite tough world competition by achieving podium places, the CEV, together with its long-term partner Global Sports Marketing Ltd., organises the first edition of the Spanish Open as the closing event of the European Championship Tour calendar with the Qualification Tournament starting on Thursday, 9 September in Valencia.

The “Las Arenas” beach of Valencia promises to be an ideal tournament site to launch the first edition of the Spanish Open with a trial competition format of 16 men’s respectively 16 women’s teams (a change from the 24-team Main Draw of the Italian Open in Roseto degli Abruzzi). There will be nine teams according to CEV ranking, a maximum of two wild cards, one host country spot, and a minimum of four teams who advance from the Qualification Tournament held on 9 September. The Olympic Beach Volleyball heroes from Spain, Javier Bosma and Pablo Herrera, have already ensured their presence, although they will not be playing together. Bosma is teaming up with Juan Claudio Garcia, whilst Herrera will try his luck in the senior competition partnering Raul Mesa Lite with whom he won the Under 23 European Championships in Brno (CZE) beginning of August this year. Germany will be represented by two strong teams. Whilst Jörg Ahmann/Axel Hager are competing in their last tournament, marking the end of a hugely successful career, Christoph Dieckmann and Andreas Scheuerpflug are on a wave of success, improving with each tournament. Beating top teams including world number two Benjamin Insfran/Marcio Araujo from Brazil during the Olympic Summer Games in Athens a couple of weeks ago, the two Berliners were crowned national Beach Volleyball Champions last Sunday, 5 September, celebrating successes over the 2004 European Champions Markus Dieckmann/Jonas Reckermann in the semi-final and Julius Brink/Kjell Schneider in the final. Also, Norway’s long-term beach duos Iver Andreas Horrem/Bjorn Maaseide and Jorre Kjemperud/Vegard Hoidalen have swapped partners for the Spanish Open, resulting in Horrem playing with Hoidalen and Kjemperud competing at the side of Maaseide. Being a team since 1999 the experienced French duo from Montpellier, Stephane Canet and Mathieu Hamel, have also registered.

The favourites to take home the Spanish Open trophy in the ladies’ draw are the 2004 European Championships’ bronze medal winners Daniela Gattelli/Lucilla Perrotta from Rome (ITA). Making it to the second round of the 2004 Olympic Games’ Main Draw in August, they represented one of the best European teams in Athens (GRE). Seeded on number two are their countrymen Laura Bruschini/Anna Maria Solazzi whilst Greece have registered their top two women’s beach teams, namely Vassiliki Karadassiou/Efrosyni Sfyri, fifth of the 2004 European Championship Final at Timmendorfer Strand (GER), and Vassiliki Arvanity/Efthalia Koutroumanidou, who unfortunately both lost the first round of the Olympic Main Draw at home. The two hopeful sister pairs, Petia and Tzvetelina Yanchulova from Bulgaria, who took the world number two Adriana Behar/Shelda Bede from Brazil to a tiebreak set in Athens 2004, as well as the wildcard holders Katerina and Markéta Tychnova from the Czech Republic, will be challenging the already established European formations for a place in the final.

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Enjoy & Be There:
3-11 September 2004: Women’s Under 19 European Championships, Bardejov, Presov, Slovakia.
4-10 September 2004: Balkan Championships Youth Boys, Budva, Serbia Montenegro.
4-12 September 2004: Men’s Under 20 European Championships, Zagreb, Croatia.
8-12 September 2004: European Championship Tour Senior Beach Volleyball, Spanish Open, Valencia, Spain.
17-19 September 2004: European Championships Women Category A Qualification Tournaments, Various.
21-26 September 2004: 2005 FIVB World Grand Prix European Qualification, Ankara, Turkey.