The SWATCH-FIVB World Tour returns to Warsaw for the second-straight season, but Polish capital will entertain the world's best women's Beach Volleyball players at the start of the season after staging an event during the last part of the 2006 campaign.  The inaugural Warsaw SWATCH stop featured an All-Chinese finale as Tian Jia and Wang Jie won their second-straight FIVB title by defeating their younger rivals Xue Chen and Zhang Xi for the gold medal.  The Warsaw stop was the third of three-straight FIVB events in Poland in 2006 as Stare Jablonki hosted the men in early August followed by the SWATCH-FIVB U21 World Championships two weeks later in Myslowice.

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Two-time Chinese Olympian Tian Jia (center) interviewed by FIVB highlight show producer Spence Volla (right)

In addition to the All-Chinese finale, the 2006 Warsaw event also featured the first-ever "final four" appearance by a women's team from Russia while Katarzyna Urban and Joanna Wiatr, 2004 SWATCH-FIVB U18 World Champions, won Poland's first-ever women's SWATCH-FIVB World Tour Main Draw match.  Alexandra Shiryaeva and Natalya Uryadova, who gained a "wild card" entry for the 2006 Warsaw Open after winning the European Championships a week earlier in the Netherlands, became the first Russian team to compete in a "final four" in the 15-year history of the women's SWATCH-FIVB World Tour event.

Alexandra Shiryaeva (left) and Natalya Uryadova of Russia

Poland's Katarzyna Urban

Brazilians captured the gold medals in Stare Jabloki and Myslowice, which hosted the SWATCH-FIVB U21 World championships.  Reigning Olympic champions Emanuel Rego and Ricardo Santos won their second Stare Jablonski gold medal.  In Myslowice two weeks later, Pedro Salgado and Bruno Schmidt won the men's U21 title after Carolina Aragao and Barbra Figueiredo Seixas claimed the women's title.

A city taking full advantage of the tremendous and unique opportunities arising from the emergence of the free market and the development of democracy, Warsaw is one of the fastest growing cities in Europe as Poland's capital has seen the value of the city’s development projects surpass US$5-billion.  Warsaw, a city with a population of nearly two-million, is the country's largest university and research centre with an enormous and highly skilled workforce.  Warsaw’s history and climate impress the visitors, while its uniqueness interests them.  In Warsaw, influences of Western and Eastern Europe culture cross.  Historic buildings, palaces, churches and architectural complexes, destroyed during the War, have been reconstructed with great care.  The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) appreciated Warsaw Monuments and its relics, and honored the City by putting the Historic Centre of Warsaw on the World Heritage List.  Located on the Vistula River and roughly 350 km from both the Baltic Sea coast and the Carpathian Mountains, Warsaw is home to over 30 theatres, including the National Theatre and Opera and the National Philharmonic Orchestra.  Warsaw was founded in ninth century.  It has been said that Warsaw, together with Frankfurt, London and Paris, is one of the tallest cities in Europe.  Warsaw is also the home of 11 of the tallest skyscrapers in Poland, including nine that are office buildings.  The centrally located tallest structure, the Palace of Culture and Science, is the fourth tallest building in the European Union.