2016-07-21 16:29:00 CEST
Toronto reunited with FIVB World Tour party
Canadians Ben Saxton and Chaim Schalk are heading to the Olympics. Photocredit: Andreas Langreiter.
In September the Swatch Beach Volleyball FIVB World Tour Finals touch down in Toronto – but this isn’t the first time the beautiful game has paid a visit to this part of the world.
But it’s been 16 long years since international FIVB beach volleyball action last wowed the crowds in Canada’s most-populous city.
It was June 2000 when legendary Brazilian teams Jose Loiola/Emanuel Rego and Shelda Bede/Adriana Behar won gold in the Nokia Canada Open.
The same year Canadian heroes John Child and Mark Heese, who were both present at Thursday’s press conference to unveil the destination of the Swatch Beach Volleyball FIVB World Tour Finals, scooped silver medals in the men’s competition.
Fast forward 16 years later, and it’s fair to say that Canada has an even better chance of winning medals on home sand in September when the Swatch Beach Volleyball FIVB World Tour Finals come calling.
Why? Well four teams are heading to the Olympics in Rio this summer: Saxton/Schalk and Binstock/Schachter head up the men’s challenge while Pavan/Bansley and Broder/Valjas carry the women’s hopes on the Copacabana.
Plus, beach volleyball in Canada is thriving right now – more than 700,000 Canadians play volleyball and 54,000 of these are actively registered with clubs.
So we’re pretty sure the Canadian teams are not going to be without support when they take to the sand in Toronto in September and that’s why it’s a match made in heaven…and we can’t wait!