Kish Island Open 2016 | 15 - 19 février 2016 |
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Press release
English pair chase Rio dream
Chris Gregory and Jake Sheak hope to represent England at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Lausanne, Switzerland, January 26, 2016 - With a little over two weeks to go before the start of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Kish Island Open in Iran from February 15 to 19, English pair Chris Gregory and Jake Sheak are raising funds for their bid to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The two players combine work and a demanding training schedule and after representing Great Britain at the Baku European Games in 2015 have launched a crowdfunding project - Sponsorise Me, in collaboration with Powerade - as part of their bid to qualify for the Olympics.
“We’ve got a busy year ahead of us if we want to make the Olympics,†said Chris. “With a busy World Tour calendar and CEV and NEZVA in the pipeline, there is a lot for us to plan – and pay for.â€
The team aim to finish in the top five of the European Tour tournaments they play. They will also aim to play World Tour Opens in Kish Island (Iran), Doha (Qatar), Xiamen and Fuzhou (China) as part of their preparations for the final phase of the CEV Continental Cup in June.
“We’re currently in our hard pre-season training block which includes a lot of strength and fitness work, plus some skills work,†said Chris. “This averages out at around 20 hours per week of training over 12 or so sessions.
“We both also work for Youth Sport Trust as Athlete Mentors and we work three days a week with them when we’re in the UK.
“We’ve launched our Sponsorise Me campaign to see if we can raise much needed funds to help us to continue on our Road to Rio, to represent our fantastic sport at its pinnacle event.â€
For more information, click here.
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The two players combine work and a demanding training schedule and after representing Great Britain at the Baku European Games in 2015 have launched a crowdfunding project - Sponsorise Me, in collaboration with Powerade - as part of their bid to qualify for the Olympics.
“We’ve got a busy year ahead of us if we want to make the Olympics,†said Chris. “With a busy World Tour calendar and CEV and NEZVA in the pipeline, there is a lot for us to plan – and pay for.â€
The team aim to finish in the top five of the European Tour tournaments they play. They will also aim to play World Tour Opens in Kish Island (Iran), Doha (Qatar), Xiamen and Fuzhou (China) as part of their preparations for the final phase of the CEV Continental Cup in June.
“We’re currently in our hard pre-season training block which includes a lot of strength and fitness work, plus some skills work,†said Chris. “This averages out at around 20 hours per week of training over 12 or so sessions.
“We both also work for Youth Sport Trust as Athlete Mentors and we work three days a week with them when we’re in the UK.
“We’ve launched our Sponsorise Me campaign to see if we can raise much needed funds to help us to continue on our Road to Rio, to represent our fantastic sport at its pinnacle event.â€
For more information, click here.
Download highresolution