Turkey returns to the international Beach Volleyball calendar as the Mediterranean seaside resort city of Alanya hosts the 2009 SWATCH FIVB World Championships for players under 19 years old. The eighth annual event will be August 19-23 in Alanya, which is located on the Gulf of Antalya and is situated between the Taurus Mountains to the north and the Mediterranean Sea. The 2009 U-19 gold medal team will be rewarded a “wild card” by the FIVB for a future SWATCH FIVB World Tour event during the final months of the 2009 or in 2010.

With a population of more than 400,000, Alanya is part of the Turkish Riviera. The relatively moderate Mediterranean climate, natural attractions, and historic heritage makes Alanya a popular destination for tourism, and responsible for nine percent of Turkey's tourism sector and thirty percent of foreign purchases of real estate in Turkey.

“These events have been critical to create a new generation of Beach Volleyball athletes,” said Angelo Squeo, the FIVB Beach Volleyball Events Director. “In a few years, these players will challenge for SWATCH FIVB World Tour medals and vie for berths in future Olympic Games. The winners of these events will also be rewarded by the FIVB and the respective organizers with wild cards and free transportation to take part in the main draw of a SWATCH FIVB World Tour event in 2009 or 2010.”

While Brazilians dominated the FIVB U-21 competition, the U-18/19 has seen the medal and “final four” count almost evenly distributed among 20 countries. The German men and women have each captured two gold medals along with two Dutch women teams. The Polish team of Michal Kadziola and Jakub Szalankiewicz gave their country the lead on the men’s medal list by capturing the 2007 U-19 title. Estonia claimed its first junior/youth world championship medal in 2008 as the men’s team of Kristo Kollo and Oliver Venno claimed the title.

Germany, which was denied a women’s podium placement for the first-time in 2007, rebounded in 2008 as Chantal Laboureur and Levke Spinger won the gold medal. The Netherland’s Danielle Remmers and Michelle Stiekema claimed the 2007 title as the Dutch team of Sanne Keizer and Arjanne Stevens won the first-ever women’s gold medal when the competition was for players under the age of 18. The age for the competition was changed in 2005 for players under the age of 19.

Past SWATCH-FIVB U-18.19 World Championships Results

Men

Netherlands, The Hague (July 30-August 3, 2008)
1. Kristo Kollo/Oliver Venno, Estonia
2. Jeffrey Carlson/Antonio Ciarelli, United States
3. Marek Leznicki/Damian Wojtasik, Poland
4. Víctor Bouza/Jesus Castizo, Spain
Gold - Kollo/Venno def. Carlson/Ciarelli, 21-17, 21-16 (34 minutes)
Bronze - Leznicki/Wojtasik def. Bouza/Castizo, 21-17, 21-12 (30)

Poland, Myslowice (July 12-15, 2007)
1. Michal Kadziola/Jakub Szalankiewicz, Poland
2. Stefan Kohler/Malte Stiel, Germany
3. Vitalii Didukh/Pavlo Ostapenko, Ukraine
4. Marcin Kantor/Damian Wojtasik of Poland
Gold - Kadziola/Szalankiewicz def. Kohler/Stiel, 21-16, 21-16 (39)
Bronze - Didukh/Ostapenko def. Kantor/Wojtasik, 16-21, 21-11, 15-10 (48)

Bermuda, Horseshoe Bay (September 6 - 10, 2006)
1. Jonathan Erdmann/Marvin Klass, Germany
2. Paolo Nicolai/Francesco Giontella, Italy
3. Matteo Ingrosso/Paolo Ingrosso, Italy
4. Renaud Ventresque/Brice Thesee, France
Gold - Erdmann/Klass def. Nicolai/Giontella 21-18, 17-21, 15-12 (54)
Bronze - Ingrosso/Ingrosso def. Ventresque/Thesee FRA 22-20, 21-15 (38)

France, Saint Quay Portrieux (August 3-7, 2005)
1. Tine Urnaut/Nejc Zemljak, Slovenia
2. Joseph Dykstra/Mark Van Zwieten, United States
3. Grzegorz Fijalek/Michal Matyja, Poland
4. Jonathan Erdmann/Stefan Windscheif, Germany
Gold - Urnaut/Zemljak def. Dykstra/VanZwieten, 21-13, 21-23, 15-12 (49)
Bronze - Fijalek/Matyja def. Erdmann/Windscheif, 12-21, 21-17, 15-10 (47)

Italy, Termoli (September 8-12, 2004)
1. Arunas Kirsnys/Arvydas Miseikis, Lithuania
2. Zbigniew Bartman/Michal Kubiak, Poland
3. Ingars Ivanovs/Janis Smedins, Latvia
4. Reid Hall/Adam Podstawka, Canada
Gold - Kirsnys/Miseikis def. Bartman/Kubiak, 21-14, 22-24, 15-13 (54)
Bronze - Ivanovs/Smedins def. Hall/Podstawka, 21-15 and 21-14 (34)

Thailand, Pattaya (August 27-31, 2003)
1. Sebastian Fuchs/Thomas Kaczmarek, Germany
2. Ian Borges/Pedro Salgado, Brazil
3. Tomasz Sinczak/Rafat Szternal, Poland
4. Michel Mokomdoko/Juan Virgen, Mexico
Gold - Fuchs/Kaczmarek def. Borges/Salgado, 21-19, 23-25, 18-16 (64)
Bronze - Sinczak/Szternal def. Mokomdoko/Virgen, 21-17, 21-17 (37)

Greece, Xylokastro (August 28-September 1, 2002)
1. Ian Borges/Salgado, Brazil
2. Andreas Gortisanouk/Theodoris Papadimitriou, Greece
3. Rouslan Daynov/Yaroslav Koshkarev, Russia
4. Kamil Lyczko/Sebastian Pecherz, Poland
Gold - Borges/Salgado def. Gortisanouk/Papadimitriou, 21-18, 22-20 (41)
Bronze - Daynov/Koshkarev def. Lyczko/Pecherz, 21-19, 21-18 (40)

Women

Netherlands, The Hague (July 30-August 3, 2008)
1. Chantal Laboureur/Levke Spinger, Germany
2. Rimke Braakman/Sophie Van Gestel, Netherlands
3. Irinia Chayka /Ekaterina Karapischenko, Russia
4. Beata Galek/Daria Paszek, Poland
Gold - Laboureur/Spinger def. Braakman/Van Gestel, 10-21, 21-16, 15-11 (48)
Bronze - Chayka/Karapischenko def. Galek/Paszek, 21-18, 21-19 (36)

Poland, Myslowice (July 12-15, 2007)
1. Danielle Remmers/Michelle Stiekema, Netherlands
2. Gilda Lombardo/Marta Menegatti, Italy
3. Iveta Halbichova/Barbora Jerabkova, Czech Republic
4. Monika Brzostek/Weronika Kurek, Poland
Gold - Remmers/Stiekema, def. LombardoMenegatti, 21-10, 19-21, 15-10 (52)
Bronze - Halbichova/Jerabkova def. Brzostek/Kurek, 14-21, 21-15, 15-9 (49)

Bermuda, Horseshoe Bay (September 5-9, 2006)
1. Becchara Palmer/Alice Rohkamper, Australia
2. Marleen Van Iersel/Remmers, Netherlands
3. Britta Büthe/Svenja Engelhardt, Germany
4. Tanja Goricanec/Taryn Sciarini, Switzerland
Gold - Palmer/Rohkamper def. Van Iersel/Remmers, 17-21, 21-19, 15-11 (69)
Bronze - Bthe/Engelhardt def. Goricanec/Sciarini, 21-12, 21-17 (38)

France, Saint Quay Portrieux (August 3-7, 2005)
1. Carolina Aragao/Figueiredo Seixas, Brazil
2. Katarzyna Urban/Joanna Wiatr, Poland
3. Florentina Bttner/Julia Sude, Germany
4. Veronika Opravilova/Marketa Slukova, Czech Republic
Gold - Figueiredo/Aragao def. Urban/Wiatr, 21-14, 15-21, 15-10 (52)
Bronze - Bttner/Sude def. Opravilova/Slukova, 21-18, 21-17 (39)

Italy, Termoli (September 8-12, 2004)
1. Urban/Wiatr, Poland
2. Barbara Figueiredo Seixas/Carolina Salgado, Brazil
3. Florentina Bttner/Julia Sude, Germany
4. Van Iersel/Margo Wiltens, Netherlands
Gold - Urban/Wiatr def. Figueiredo/Salgado, 17-21, 21-17, 15-13 (53)
Bronze - Bttner/Sude def. Van Iersel/Wiltens, 21-19, 21-10 (34).

Thailand, Pattaya (August 27-31, 2003)
1. Jana Kohler/Laura Ludwig, Germany
2. Figueiredo Seixas/Carolina, Brazil
3. Frederike Fischer/Sandra Piasecki, Germany
4. Diana Estrada/Martha Revuelta, Mexico
Gold - Kohler/Ludwig def. Figueiredo/Carolina, 21-11, 30-32, 15-7 (62)
Bronze - Fischer/Piasecki def. Estrada/Revuelta, 21-19, 17-21, 15-7 (36)

Greece, Xylokastro (August 28-September 1, 2002)
1. Sanne Keizer/Arjanne Stevens, Netherlands
2. Claudia Lehmann/Friederike Romberg, Germany
3. Ruth Flemig/Ilka Semmler, Germany
4. Isabel Grael/Carolina, Brazil
Gold - Keizer/Stevens def. Lehmann/Romberg, 24-22, 21-14 (44)
Bronze - Flemig/Semmler def. Grael/Carolina, 21-14, 21-16 (38)