Lausanne, Switzerland, December 22, 2009 – The Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) is pleased to announce the confirmation of the Beach Volleyball calendar for 2010 including a ground breaking edition of the SWATCH FIVB World Tour, which will feature six Grand Slam events for the second time in its history.

With total prize money of $6.83 million on offer, the 2010 SWATCH FIVB World Tour will include 15 women’s events and 14 men’s tournaments including Grand Slams offering $600,000 prize money and bonus pool in Russia, Norway, Switzerland, Austria, Poland and a new Grand Slam in Rome, Italy – the venue for the 2011 SWATCH FIVB World Championships. The only other time six Grand Slams featured in one season was in 2008. The events in Italy and Poland have been upgraded from an Open to a Grand Slam.
 
The 2010 calendar will have its opening tournament being a double gender Open in Brazilia, Brazil from April 19-25 before the first Grand Slam takes place from May 17-23 in Rome, Italy. There is a possibility of an additional event in Cancun being added to the calendar in the forthcoming weeks. All other events are fully confirmed in 2010 as well as in the build up towards the Olympic Games in 2012.

“The FIVB has developed the latest calendar in order to ensure the best symmetry with continental and national tours throughout the world,” President of the Beach Volleyball Commission Dr. Ary Graça said. “In fact, apart for the month of August, all remaining months in the calendar will have at least one free week to accommodate the continental and national activities. We hope that now, FIVB confederations and federations will seize this great opportunity, exploiting the potential that Beach Volleyball can offer to all of them, by involving more teams and the best partners which will help increase the overall Beach Volleyball audience. This will also help to further boost the SWATCH FIVB World Tour as well.”

Dr Graça continued: “I believe that the calendar should have no more than 34 events in order to increase the tremendous value of this thriving property and create a positive competition among the organizers and interested promoters”.

Mr. Vincente Araujo, the secretary of the SWATCH FIVB World Tour Council, stated: “Our goal will be to introduce special projects via the SWATCH FIVB World Tour in countries having a strategic meaning for the FIVB. This will also create better event distribution across all continents.”

Other significant changes to the Beach Volleyball calendar see the return of the Men’s Czech Republic Open, after missing last year due to the financial crisis and the introduction of a new development initiative called Beach Volleyball Around the World, which is directed towards amateur players participating at the venues of SWATCH FIVB World Tour events, offering a package to fans to follow an endless summer, enjoy the beautiful SWATCH FIVB World Tour venues and to experience Beach Volleyball.

Meanwhile, the successful television distribution and production partnership between the FIVB and IMG Sports Media, which made its debut last year, will see the global sport’s marketing giant continue to exclusively distribute all media rights for the 2010 SWATCH FIVB World Tour. While the next generation of Beach Volleyball stars will also be busy in 2010 with the SWATCH FIVB Junior World Championships in Alanya, Turkey from September 15-19 and the SWATCH FIVB Youth World Championships in Oporto, Portugal from July 21-25, 2010.

The FIVB also confirmed that a new fidelity program will be in place, further rewarding athlete participation on the SWATCH FIVB World Tour while a new Mikasa ball, the VLS 300, will be used, after being introduced at the Sanya Open in China in November.

SWATCH FIVB World Tour 2010 calendar

TOTAL PRIZE MONEY and BONUS POOL= US$ 7,020,000

WOMEN'S CALENDAR

      DATES                COUNTRY          EVENT                     PRIZE MONEY  BONUS POOL
1    April 19-24          Brazilia, Brazil              Open            US$110,000    US$80,000
2    May 4-9              Shanghai, China           Open            US$110,000    US$80,000
3    May 17-22           Rome, Italy                 Grand Slam   US$160,000    US$140,000
4    May 25-30           Seoul, Korea                Open            US$110,000    US$80,000
5    June 7- 13           Moscow, Russia            Grand Slam   US$160,000    US$140,000
6    June 28 – July 3   Stavanger, Norway         Grand Slam   US$160,000    US$140,000
7    July 5-10             Gstaad, Switzerland       Grand Slam   US$160,000    US$140,000
8    July 19-24           Marseille, France           Open            US$110,000    US$80,000
9    July 26-July 31     Klagenfurt, Austria         Grand Slam   US$160,000    US$140,000
10    August 2-7        Stare Jablonki, Poland    Grand Slam   US$160,000    US$140,000
11    August 9-14        Kristiansand, Norway      Open           US$110,000    US$80,000
12    August 16-21      Aland, Finland               Open           US$110,000    US$80,000
13    August 23-29      The Hague, Netherlands Open           US$110,000    US$80,000
14    October 26-31  Sanya, China                   Open           US$110,000    US$80,000
15    November 2-7      Phuket, Thailand          Open            US$110,000    US$80,000

                                                                 TOTAL    US$  2’060’000    US$  1’640’000

MEN'S CALENDAR   

      DATES                   COUNTRY                     EVENT       PRIZE MONEY    BONUS POOL
1    April 20-25             Brazilia, Brazil               Open           US$110,000    US$80,000
2    May 3-8                 Shanghai, China           Open           US$110,000    US$80,000
3    May 18-23              Rome, Italy                 Grand Slam  US$160,000    US$140,000
4    May 25 –30            Myslowice, Poland         Open           US$110,000    US$80,000
5    June 8- June 14      Moscow, Russia            Grand Slam  US$160,000    US$140,000
6    June 15 –20           Prague, Czech Republic Open           US$110,000    US$80,000
7    June 29 – July 4     Stavanger, Norway         Grand Slam  US$160,000    US$140,000
8    July 6-11               Gstaad, Switzerland      Grand Slam   US$160,000    US$140,000
9    July 20-25             Marseille, France           Open           US$110,000    US$80,000
10    July 27-August 1  Klagenfurt, Austria         Grand Slam  US$160,000    US$140,000
11    August 3-8          Stare Jablonki, Poland    Grand Slam  US$160,000    US$140,000
12    August 10-15       Kristiansand, Norway       Open          US$110,000    US$80,000
13    August 17-22      Aland, Finland                 Open          US$110,000    US$80,000
14    August 25-30      The Hague, Netherlands   Open          US$110,000    US$80,000
                                                                TOTAL      US$ 1’840’000    US$ 1’480’000

    15 Women’s events / 14 Men’s events Including six Grand Slams

Total Prize Money: USD 3’790’000        Total Bonus Pool: USD 3’040’000

– ENDS –

For more information contact:
Richard Baker - FIVB Communications Deputy Director
Phone: +41 21 345 3535
Fax: +41 21 345 3545
Email: press@fivb.org