Click here for Espinho 2007 Men's Open page

Renowned for its vast, sun-kissed beaches and wonderful selection of seafood restaurants, Espinho is a popular holiday town in Aveiro province that has developed a reputation as an "excellent" venue for the SWATCH-FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour for the past 12 seasons.  The 2007 Praia da Baia stop will again feature a double gender event as the women return to Espinho after staging their 2006 Portuguese stop in the Madeira Islands at Porto Santo.  Reigning Olympic and World Champions Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh of the United States won their first-ever SWATCH-FIVB World Tour Beach Volleyball gold medal in 2001.  Situated on Portugal's northwestern coast known as the Costa Verde, Espinho is located 11 miles (18km) south of Porto.  In addition to the long stretch of golden sandy beach, Espinho has a a casino, bullfight ring, a range of shops, restaurants, hotels and campsites.  The town also boasts one of the oldest golf courses in the world, dating from 1890.

Women – After competing last season in the Madeira Islands, the women’s SWATCH-FIVB World Tour returns to Espinho to compete for the ninth-time for a gold medal on the Praia da Baia.  At the Porto Santo 2006 stop, Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca captured the All-Brazilian finale by defeating rivals Renata Ribeiro and Talita Antues in the final.  China's Tian Jia and Wang Fei captured the 2006 Madeira Island bronze medal by defeating Helke Claasen and Antje Roder of Germany in the third-place match.  The Porto Santo "final four" appearance was the first-ever SWATCH semi-final for Claasen and Roder.  Women’s teams from the United States have won six of the previous gold medals on the Portugal coast, including five-straight as Olympic Champions Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh won their first-ever FIVB title in Espinho.  The win by Brazilians Sandra Pires and Jackie Silva in 1996 was their first stop after capturing the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games.  Ana Pereira and Maria Jose Schuller posted a 2000 Espinho seventh was the best finish by a Portugal team.