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2015-04-08 11:00:00 CET

Beach Volleyball's Most Prestigious Series Starts in Croatia

Swatch Beach Volleyball Major Series starts its $800.000 prize tournaments in Poreč, Croatia. Swatch Beach Volleyball Major Series as part of the FIVB World Tour will start its 2015 calendar with the first stop in Poreč, Croatia, where the 32 of the world's best men and women Beach Volleyball teams will gather from June 2-7 to provide Peškera bay with a unique sports and entertainment event.

Swatch Beach Volleyball Major Series starts its $800.000 prize tournaments in Poreč, Croatia

Poreč, Croatia; April 8 2015 – International Volleyball Federation's (FIVB) most prestigious Beach Volleyball series is about to make a mark in the world of sports, and is about to push Beach Volleyball to completely new heights. Swatch Beach Volleyball Major Series as part of the FIVB World Tour will start its 2015 calendar with the first stop in Poreč, Croatia, where the 32 of the world's best men and women Beach Volleyball teams will gather from June 2-7 to provide Peškera bay with a unique sports and entertainment event.

Swatch Beach Volleyball Major Series is part of the FIVB World Tour, which acts as the second part of qualifications for Summer Olympics 2016. Apart from highest profile players and teams, $800.000 prize-money per tournament, unique interaction between players and the audience and unparalleled energy, the series offers a unique entertainment whiff which promises truly outstanding events within the series. Poreč Major is the first of four tournaments, followed by Stavanger Major, Gstaad Major, and ending with an absolute season highlight – the Swatch Season Final of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour in Fort Lauderdale, USA. To announce the first tournament of the series, some of the prominent names of the sport visited Poreč.

Hannes Jagerhofer, CEO of the Beach Major Company – a joint venture between Red Bull and Mr. Jagerhofer himself – had the introductory word: “Everyone asks me why I chose Poreč for this tournament. If you take a look, you’ll see it’s one of the most beautiful places on Earth. This unique location, right at the seaside will be the perfect setting for the tournament which is more than just a sport, it’s a culture. Here on Peškera bay we’re setting up a Central Court with the capacity for 5000 people, with five additional side courts. I’d like to thank the City of Poreč, the Croatian Tourist Board, our partners Valamar and Laguna Poreč, and of course our title sponsor Swatch for being the invaluable support.”

Photo credit: Tomislav MožePhoto credit: Tomislav Može

Vicente Araujo, FIVB Executive Board Member, didn’t hide his excitement about the first tournament of the Swatch Beach Volleyball Major Series, part of the FIVB World Tour in Croatia: “The International Volleyball Federation is one of the largest sports federations, with more than 220 national federations across the world, which proves how big and popular Volleyball is. Poreč will be among some of the biggest places in the world to host a tournament like this, and I can say that in some way Poreč will be the start the new era of Beach Volleyball. And what’s more, this is a very important tournament for players, as FIVB World Tour serves as part of the qualifications of Summer Olympics 2016.”

President of the Croatian Volleyball Federation Zdeslav Barač said that Poreč Major will be a great motivation for Croatian Volleyball players: “This is a huge chance for Croatia to show its Volleyball on the global scene. This is the right moment for Croatian players and Volleyball in general to step forward and start its journey towards the Olympics.”

Enthusiastic and emotional brand, backers of action sports and for years a huge promoter of Beach Volleyball – Swatch – entered the long term partnership with the Beach Majors Company in order to bring the sports to a new level. Patric Schmidlin, Head of Sports & Events International Swatch, stunned by Croatian beauty, said: “It’s my first time here, and now I know why Hannes chose Poreč for the first stop of the series. We’ve been in lifestyle sports for years now, and we want to set new sports concepts. With strong partners, I think we can build a strong foundation for the athletes and spread passion and emotions towards the sport, as well as zest for life.”

Julius Brink, 2012 Olympic Gold Medallist, World Champion, and multiple European Champion also came to Poreč to announce the tournament, and will act as an ambassador of the whole Swatch Beach Volleyball Major Series, part of the FIVB World Tour: “I feel happy because the series has created something new with a huge impact on sport nowadays. Everyone keeps asking about the series, and all the players want to be a part of it. You never get to play tournaments with $800.000 prize-money. More tournaments like this will attract more people and definitely contribute to further development of the sport. I’m looking forward to coming back here in June.”

The city of Poreč plays a big support in the tournaments’ organization, and its Mayor Edi Štifanić is proud to have been given the trust of the Beach Major Company to host a sporting spectacle of this kind: “I’m thankful for this opportunity, and am sure that Poreč will rise to the expectations. With this project, we’ve been given both the sports and entertainment element, and I’m sure that our city will send out a beautiful postcard to the world.”

Croatian Minister of Tourism Darko Lorencin was happy to join the press conference and say what this tournament means for Croatia’s promotion on the global level: “I’m proud that Croatia is hosting more and more global events. This tournament will definitely be a refreshment, and this is the perfect chance for Poreč to send the picture of its beauty into the world. The more global the event is, the more it contributes to the promotion of the country.”

Let’s note that Poreč Major is the tournament with the highest prize-money ever held in Croatia. Apart from two national teams per gender, for five days Poreč will be the home to numerous World and European Champions, as well as Olympic Champions and biggest stars of the sport today. With more than 15,000 people expected at the tournament, and the global superstars of Beach Volleyball, Poreč Major acts as one of the biggest sporting events of the year in Croatia. Be prepared to fall in love with Beach Volleyball and to put it on top of your list of the must-visit destinations of the year.

Photo credit: Tomislav MožePhoto credit: Tomislav Može

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FIVB World Tour events

Swatch Major Series

Grand Slams

  • Moscow, Russia
  • Yokohama, Japan
  • St. Petersburg, USA
  • Long Beach, USA
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Swatch Beach Volleyball Season Final

  • Fort Lauderdale, USA

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