Last year's Prague Open podium featured (l-r) Alison Cerutti, Emanuel Rego, Todd Rogers, Phil Dalhausser, Jonas Reckermann and Julius Brink
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Lausanne, Switzerland, February 8, 2011 – For the third year running Prague will feature on the FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour itinerary as the Czech capital stages an open event for men from May 17-22.
After successfully staging events in 2008 and 2009, the World Tour returns to the banks of the River Vltava once more for the sole men's single-gender tournament of 2011.
Last year USA’s Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser clinched top spot on the podium as they saw off Brazil's Alison Cerutti and Emanuel Rego 2-1 (21-15, 14-21, 15-11) in the final. The eventual champions did not have an easy run, though, losing to compatriots Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal in their second match before winning five elimination matches in one day, including gaining revenge over Gibb and Rosenthal, to make the final.
Germany's Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann completed the podium by claiming third place with a 2-1 (25-27, 21-9, 15-10) win over China’s Penggen Wu and Linyin Xu.
The 2011 FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour has a total of 14 men's and 16 women's events across 13 countries. A definite highlight of the calendar will be the eighth edition of the FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Championships from June 14-26 in Rome.
This 23rd edition of the FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour also heralds the start of the World Tour Olympic qualifying process for 16 vacancies per gender, which runs from January 1 this year until June 17 next year. There will be six Grand Slams for the third year in a row offering 600,000 US dollars in prize money – in Norway, Switzerland, Russia, Poland, Austria as well as the new Grand Slam in Beijing, China. Quebec in Canada will also feature on the calendar for the first time with a double gender Open event.
The 1million US dollar FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Championships includes a number of firsts for the biennial tournament – including being played in a capital city and featuring night matches – with the historic Parco del Foro Italico in Rome providing the venue. Meanwhile, the Chinese capital Beijing is back on the Tour calendar for the first time since the 2008 Olympic Games with a new Grand Slam event scheduled for June 6-12. Quebec will follow Montreal and Toronto as Canadian cities to host the World Tour, becoming the first since Montreal in 2007 when it stages a double-gender Open from July 18-24.
The 2011 schedule – which also includes an Olympic Games test event for women from August 9-14, replicating the Olympic formula, at London's Horse Guards Parade – will feature a total of 10 Opens of which six are double gender.
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Women |
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Dates |
Country |
Event |
Prize
Money |
Bonus
Pool |
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April 18-23 |
Brasilia, Brazil |
Open |
$110’000 |
$80’000 |
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April 26- May 1 |
Sanya, China |
Open |
$110’000 |
$80’000 |
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May 3-8 |
Shanghai, China |
Open |
$110’000 |
$80’000 |
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May 17 –22 |
Myslowice, Poland |
Open |
$110’000 |
$80’000 |
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June 6-11 |
Beijing, China |
Grand Slam |
$160’000 |
$140’000 |
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June 14 – 26 |
Preliminary phase: 2 cities,
Italy Final phase: Rome, Italy |
World Championships |
$250’000 |
$250’000 |
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June 27- July 2 |
Stavanger, Norway |
Grand Slam |
$160’000 |
$140’000 |
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July 4-9 |
Gstaad, Switzerland |
Grand Slam |
$160’000 |
$140’000 |
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July 11-16 |
Moscow, Russia |
Grand Slam |
$160’000 |
$140’000 |
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July 18-24 (TBD) |
Québec, Canada |
Open |
$110’000 |
$80’000 |
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July 25-30 |
Stare Jablonki, Poland |
Grand Slam |
$160’000 |
$140’000 |
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August 1-6 |
Klagenfurt, Austria |
Grand Slam |
$160’000 |
$140’000 |
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** August 8-13 |
Kristiansand, Norway |
Open |
$110’000 |
$80’000 |
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August 15-20 |
Aland, Finland/Sweden |
Open |
$110’000 |
$80’000 |
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*** August 23-28 |
The Hague, Netherlands |
Open |
$110’000 |
$80’000 |
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November 1-6 |
Phuket, Thailand |
Open |
$110’000 |
$80’000 |
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$ 2’200’000 |
$ 1’810’000 |
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Men |
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Dates |
Country |
Event |
Prize
Money |
Bonus
Pool |
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April 19-24 |
Brasilia, Brazil |
Open |
$110’000 |
$80’000 |
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May 2-7 |
Shanghai, China |
Open |
$110’000 |
$80’000 |
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May 17 –22 |
Prague, Czech Republic |
Open |
$110’000 |
$80’000 |
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June 7-12 |
Beijing, China |
Grand Slam |
$160’000 |
$140’000 |
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June 14 – July 26 |
Preliminary phase: 2 cities,
Italy Final phase: Rome, Italy |
World Championships |
$250’000 |
$250’000 |
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June 28- July 3 |
Stavanger, Norway |
Grand Slam |
$160’000 |
$140’000 |
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July 5-10 |
Gstaad, Switzerland |
Grand Slam |
$160’000 |
$140’000 |
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July 12-17 |
Moscow, Russia |
Grand Slam |
$160’000 |
$140’000 |
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July 18-24 (TBD) |
Québec, Canada |
Open |
$110’000 |
$80’000 |
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July 26-31 |
Stare Jablonki, Poland |
Grand Slam |
$160’000 |
$140’000 |
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August 2-7 |
Klagenfurt, Austria |
Grand Slam |
$160’000 |
$140’000 |
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**August 9-14 |
Kristiansand, Norway |
Open |
$110’000 |
$80’000 |
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August 16-21 |
Aland, Finland/ Sweden |
Open |
$110’000 |
$80’000 |
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*** August 23-28 |
The Hague, Netherlands |
Open |
$110’000 |
$80’000 |
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$ 1’980’000 |
$ 1’650’000 | 16 Women’s events / 14 Men’s events including six Grand Slams & one World Championships
Total Prize Money: USD 4’180’000 Total Bonus Pool: USD 3’460’000
Legend
** To be confirmed
*** Competition starts the same day for men and women
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