2016-04-14 16:38:00 CET
Get to know more about the city and tournament in China this week
This week it’s the turn of the Xiamen Open to take center stage in the world of beach volleyball.
But ever wondered more about the tournament, the location and who’s been the best down the years? Well, here’s the what, where, how, why and who and all things Xiamen!
Well first of all, here’s the city in a nutshell:
Yeah cool, that all sounds great and thank you for the knowledge, but what about beach volleyball?!
Well the bustling metropolis of Xiamen is hosting its third successive Open this year having previously held the Xiamen Grand Slam in 2013.
As is the case in all beach volleyball tournaments a qualification stage is preceded by the pool stages and then knockout rounds – in total 96 teams will compete during the week.
The inaugural tournament – and indeed one and only (so far) – Xiamen Grand Slam saw Alison Cerutti and Vitor Felipe of Brazil claim gold in the men’s draw while April Ross and Kerri Walsh Jennings took the women’s honors.
A year later, in 2014 – in the Xiamen Open – French pair Youssef Krou and Edouard Rowlandson reigned supreme in the men’s game while Brazilians Maria Antontelli and Juliana Felisberta showcased their skills to become the women’s champions.
Last year, as you may have read already this week, Americans Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena clinched the men’s tournament and Swiss duo Joana Heidrich and Nadine Zumkehr celebrated finishing top of the podium in the women’s part of the competition.
There’s your run-down of past winners, but what you really want is some interesting facts. Don’t you?
Well here’s the stats you need to know to impress your friends…
We hope those facts haven’t sent you to sleep but don’t worry we’re sure there will be more super stats to come out of the tournament after it reaches its exciting climax on Sunday!
But one thing is for sure, in China’s most romantic city, there will be love and heartache in equal measure. Thanks for having us Xiamen!
To follow the results on a daily basis, check the following links out:
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