Estonia's summer capital welcomes Beach Volleyball stars

For the first time, Estonia will host an international

Beach Volleyball event at Pärnu Beach. Estonia's

summer capital has a unique opportunity to prove

that the birthplace of star players Kristjan Kais

and Rivo Vesik can organize a top-level men's FIVB Challenger.

Mr. Laos Lukas, Organizing Director of tournament with prize money of USD 30 000,

hopes that players from more than 15

countries will come to Pärnu in the

middle of July. "We expect to see in

Pärnu many strong teams from all over

the Europe as well as some colourful

teams from USA, Canada, Brazil,

Australia," Lukas said.

Pärnu is a city on the Baltic Sea coast of Pärnu

Bay, in south-western Estonia. It is a popular

summer vacation resort with many spas, hotels, restaurants, and a large 7 km long beach where

up to 30 000 people sunbathe on the best days.

The Pärnu River flows through the city, which is

served by Port of Pärnu and Airport of Pärnu.

Pärnu is a health resort of international stature. It attracts guests from about 50 countries and the city is a member of the European Spas Association, while the European Blue Flag has been flying at the beach of Pärnu since 2000. Most tourists in Pärnu, which celebrates its 170^th birthday as a resort city this year, are Finns, Swedes and Estonians. People can enjoy different therapies including exotic mud therapies.