Finland Hosts Inaugural FIVB Satellite Stop

After staging a men's Satellite event in 2005 where Latvia's Martins Plavins and Aleksandrs Samoilous claimed the gold medal, Turku and the Nystrom twins (Emilia and Erika) host some of the best Beach Volleyball players in the world for Finland's first international women's event.  The Nystroms have competed in three Challenger/Satellite events and have played on the SWATCH-FIVB World Tour since 2002.  The twins won French Satellite medals in Le Lavandou with gold in 2003 and silver in 2004.  Founded in the 13th century, Turku is the oldest and fifth largest city in Finland with a population of neary 175,000.  Located at the mouth of the Aura River in the southwest of the country, it is the capital city of the region of Finland Proper and the province of Western Finland, as well as being the centre of the country's third largest urban area, with around 300,000 inhabitants.  Turku has one of the largest Finland-Swedish populations in the country.  Due to its location, the Port of Turku is one of the busiest seaports in Finland.  Turku has a cultural identity as Finland's historical centre, as it was the largest city in the country and served as its capital from its foundation in the 13th century to 1812.  It also hosted the county's first university, the Academy of Åbo.  Turku is considered Finland's 'second city' by some, while others assign the title to Tampere.