FIVB Announces 2010 Beach Volleyball Tour Schedule

B.J. Hoeptner Evans December 22, 2009

Lucena_dig

Photo: FIVB

Brad Keenan, right, goes to dig the ball as partner Nick Lucena gets ready to make the play during the 2009 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship in Stavanger, Norway.

Release by the FIVB

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Dec. 22, 2009) – The Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) has announced its beach volleyball calendar for 2010 including the SWATCH FIVB World Tour, which will feature six Grand Slam events for the second time in its history.

With total prize money of $7.02 million, the 2010 SWATCH FIVB World Tour will include 16 women’s events and 14 men’s tournaments including Grand Slams offering $600,000 prize money and bonus pool in Russia, Norway, Switzerland, Austria, Poland and a new Grand Slam in Rome, Italy – the venue for the 2011 SWATCH FIVB World Championships. The only other time there were six Grand Slams in one season was 2008. The events in Italy and Poland have been upgraded from opens to Grand Slams.
 
The 2010 season will open with a double gender open on April 19-25 in Brazilia, Brazil. The first Grand Slam takes place on May 17-23 in Rome, Italy.

An event in Cancun, Mexico, may be added to the calendar.

“The FIVB has developed the latest calendar in order to ensure the best symmetry with continental and national tours throughout the world,” President of the Beach Volleyball Commission Dr. Ary Graça said. “In fact, apart for the month of August, all remaining months in the calendar will have at least one free week to accommodate the continental and national activities. We hope that now, FIVB confederations and federations will seize this great opportunity, exploiting the potential that beach volleyball can offer to all of them, by involving more teams and the best partners which will help increase the overall beach volleyball audience. This will also help to further boost the SWATCH FIVB World Tour as well.”

Other significant changes to the Beach Volleyball calendar include the return of the men’s Czech Republic Open, after missing last year due to the financial crisis and the introduction of a new development initiative called Beach Volleyball Around the World, which is directed toward amateur players participating at the venues of SWATCH FIVB World Tour events.

Meanwhile, the successful television distribution and production partnership between the FIVB and IMG Sports Media, which made its debut last year, will see the global sport’s marketing giant continue to exclusively distribute all media rights for the 2010 SWATCH FIVB World Tour. While the next generation of Beach Volleyball stars will also be busy in 2010 with the SWATCH FIVB Junior World Championships on Sept. 15-19 in Alanya, Turkey and the SWATCH FIVB Youth World Championships on July 21-25 in Oporto, Portugal.

The FIVB also confirmed that a new fidelity program will be in place, further rewarding athlete participation on the SWATCH FIVB World Tour while a new Mikasa ball, the VLS 300, will be used, after being introduced at the Sanya Open in China in November.

SWATCH FIVB World Tour 2010 calendar

TOTAL PRIZE MONEY and BONUS POOL= US$ 7,020,000

WOMEN'S CALENDAR

  DATES        COUNTRY EVENT PRIZE MONEY BONUS POOL
1 April 19-24  Brazilia, Brazil  Open US$110,000 US$80,000
2 May 4-9 Shanghai, China Open US$110,000 US$80,000
3 May 17-22 Rome, Italy  Grand Slam US$160,000 US$140,000
4 May 25-30 Seoul, Korea Open US$110,000 US$80,000
5 June 7-13 Moscow, Russia Grand Slam US$160,000 US$140,000
6 June 28-July 3 Stavanger, Norway Grand Slam US$160,000 US$140,000
7 July 5-10 Gstaad, Switzerland Grand Slam US$160,000 US$140,000
8 July 19-24 Marseille, France Open US$110,000 US$80,000
9 July 26-July 31 Klagenfurt, Austria Grand Slam US$160,000 US$140,000
10 Aug. 2-7 Stare Jablonki, Poland  Grand Slam US$160,000 US$140,000
11 Aug. 9-14 Kristiansand, Norway Open US$110,000  US$80,000
12 Aug. 16-21 Aland, Finland Open US$110,000 US$80,000
13 Aug. 23-28 The Hague, Netherlands Open US$110,000 US$80,000
14 *Sept. 7-12 Barcelona, Spain Open US$110,000 US$80,000
15 **Oct. 26-31 Sanya, China Open  US$110,000 US$80,000
16 Nov. 2-7  Phuket, Thailand Open   US$110,000 US$80,000
       TOTAL  US $ 2,060,000 US$  1,640,000

MEN'S CALENDAR

  DATES COUNTRY EVENT PRIZE MONEY BONUS POOL
1 April 20-25   Brazilia, Brazil  Open US$110,000 US$80,000
2 May 3-8 Shanghai, China Open US$110,000 US$80,000
3 May 18-23 Rome, Italy  Grand Slam US$160,000 US$140,000
4 May 25-30 Myslowice, Poland Open US$110,000 US$80,000
5 June 8-14 Moscow, Russia Grand Slam US$160,000 US$140,000
6 June 15-20 Prague, Czech Republic Open US$110,000 US$80,000
7 June 29-July 4 Stavanger, Norway Grand Slam US$160,000 US$140,000
8 July 6-11 Gstaad, Switzerland Grand Slam US$160,000 US$140,000
9 July 20-25 Marseille, France Open US$110,000 US$80,000
10 July 27-Aug. 1 Klagenfurt, Austria Grand Slam US$160,000 US$140,000
11 Aug. 3-8 Stare Jablonki, Poland  Grand Slam US$160,000 US$140,000
12 Aug. 10-15 Kristiansand, Norway Open US$110,000  US$80,000
13 Aug. 17-22 Aland, Finland Open US$110,000 US$80,000
14 Aug. 25-30 The Hague, Netherlands Open US$110,000 US$80,000
       TOTAL  US $1,840,000 US $1,480,000

16 Women’s events / 14 Men’s events including six Grand Slams
Note: * Events to be confirmed; **Location & date to be confirmed

Total Prize Money: USD $3,900,000 Total Bonus Pool: USD $3,120,000

Tags: FIVB, FIVB beach