Lausanne, Switzerland, February 20, 2017 — After three events near the end of last year, on the 2016 calendar this past week, the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) resumed the 2016 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour with a tournament in Iran for the first time. With the qualifying process for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games also resumed, the 2016 FIVB World Tour stop last week was the men’s only FIVB Kish Island Open.
Last week saw a team from Qatar win the men’s gold medal for the first time in FIVB World Tour history at the men’s $75,000 FIVB Kish Island Open in Iran. It was the third FIVB World Tour men’s event for the 2016 season.
KISH ISLAND MEN
In the men’s competition this past week in Iran, winning the gold medal with a perfect 7-0 record was Qatar’s Jefferson Santos Pereira/Cherif Younousse.Qatar’s 18th-seeded Santos/Younesse won the gold medal match in three sets over Russia’s 11th-seeded Oleg Stoyanovskiy/Artem Yarzutkin, 21-13, 14-21 and 15-12 in 39 minutes. It was the first FIVB World Tour title for any team from Qatar.
In the bronze medal match in Kish Island, it was an all-Poland battle with three-time FIVB Age Group World Champions Piotr Kantor/Bartosz Losiak defeating compatriots Michal Kadziola/Jakub Szalankiewicz in three sets as well, 19-21, 21-15 and 15-11 in 50 minutes.
In the Kish Island semifinals, Qatar’s Santos/Younesse came from behind to defeat Poland’s Kantor/Losiak in three sets, 15-21, 21-18 and 18-16 in 50 minutes and Russia’s Stoyanovskiy/Yarzutkin were also extended to three sets before overcoming Poland’s Kadziola/Szalankiewicz, 18-21, 21-14 and 15-10 in 45 minutes to advance to the gold medal match. Both of Poland’s podium teams finished 6-1 in Iran while Russia’s silver medalists Stoyanovskiy/Yarzutkin were also 6-1.
MEN’S WINNERS SHARE
Last week’s FIVB Kish Island Open men’s champions Santos/Younousse of Qatar picked up the gold medal purse of $11,000.Russia’s runner-up Stoyanovskiy/Yarzutkin earned $8,000 in prize money while Poland’s bronze medalists Kantor/Losiak earned $6,000 and Poland’s Kadziola/Szalankiewicz received $4,500 in prize money for their fourth place finish.
MEN’S POINTS/EARNINGS
After four events on the 2016 FIVB World Tour, Germany’s Markus Bockermann/Lars Fluggen duo leads the FIVB World Tour point standings with 1,390 points. Poland’s Piotr Kantor/Bartosz Losiak tandem is second in the standings with 1,180. Third is Italy’s Adrian Carambula/Alex Ranghieri with 1,100 points, fourth with 1,060 points is Latvia’s Martins Plavins/Haralds Regza duo and fifth with 1,020 points is Belgium’s Dries Koekelkoren/Tom van Walle.
In the 2016 FIVB World Tour men’s season earnings after three events, Germany’s Bockermann/Fluggen duo leads with $20,875. Second with $19,000 in prize winnings is USA’s Nick Lucena/Phil Dalhausser, while third with $17,750 is Italy’s Carambula/Ranghieri and fourth is Poland’s Kantor/Losiak tandem with $13,375. Fifth is Qatar’s Santos/Younousse with $12,200 and sixth is Mexico’s Lombardo Ontiveros/Juan Virgen with $11,375.
WOMEN’S POINTS/EARNINGS
For the women after two 2016 FIVB World Tour events, Italy’s Menegatti/Orsi Toth are at the top of the point list with 850 points, Argentina’s Ana Gallay/Georgina Klug tandem is second with 650, tied for third with 540 points for each team are Austria’s Barbara Hansel/Stefanie Schwaiger and France’s Alexandra Jupiter/Laura Longuet and tied for fifth with 500 points for each team are Czech Republic’s Slukova/Hermannova and Germany’s Laura Ludwig/Kira Walkenhorst.
In the 2016 FIVB World Tour women’s season earnings after two events, Italy’s Menegatti/Orsi Toth is in the top spot with $14,000, tied for second with $11,000 for each team are Czech Republic’s Slukova/Hermannova and Germany’s Ludwig/Walkenhorst, fourth is Brazil’s Eduarda Lisboa/Elize Maia with $8,000 and fifth is Argentina’s Ana Gallay/Georgina Klug with $7,875 in 2016 FIVB earnings.
MEN’S FINAL FOURS
In four men’s tournaments on the 2016 FIVB competition calendar, 10 countries have at least one final four placement. Co-leaders with three final four placements each are Germany (one gold medal, one bronze medal, one fourth place finish) and the United States (one gold medal, one silver medal, one bronze medal). Second is Poland with two (one bronze, one fourth place). Tied for fourth with one each are Chile (one fourth place), Italy (one gold medal), Latvia (one bronze medal), Mexico (one silver medal), the Netherlands (one silver medal) Qatar (one gold medal) and Russia (one silver medal).
WOMEN’S FINAL FOURS
In two women’s FIVB international events on the 2016 calendar, seven countries have earned at least one final four finish. At the top with two final four placements is Italy (one silver medal, one bronze) and tied for second with one each are Argentina (one fourth place finish), Brazil (one silver medal), Czech Republic (one gold medal), Germany (one gold medal), Netherlands (one fourth place finish) and the United States (one bronze medal).
MEN’S WINNING PERCENTAGE/MATCH WINS
Based on percentage, statistically, in men’s action after four events on the 2016 FIVB World Tour calendar with a minimum of seven matches played, the leader at 92.9% is USA’s Lucena/Dalhausser (13-1) while second at 85.7% is Netherlands’ Brouwer/Meeuwsen (6-1) third at 82.4% is Italy’s Ranghieri/Carambula (14-3) and fourth at 81.8% is Russia’s Stoyanowkiy/Yarzutkin. Fifth at 78.3% is Germany’s Bockermann/Fluggen (18-5), sixth at 77.8% is Germany’s Tim Holler/Jonas Schroder (7-2) and seventh at 76.9% is Mexico’s Ontiveros/Virgen (10-3).
With 18 match wins each this season so far, leading this category is Germany’s Bockermann/Fluggen (18-5), second with 16 match wins is Poland’s Piotr Kantor/Bartosz Losiak (16-6) while third with 14 is Italy’s Carambula/Ranghieri (14-3). Tied with 13 wins each are USA’s Lucena/Dalhausser (13-1), Latvia’s Martins Plavins/Haralds Regza (13-8), Austria’s Christoph Dressler/Thomas Kunert (13-8) and Canada’s Grant O’Garman/Sam Pedlow (13-8).
WOMEN’S WINNING PERCENTAGE/MATCH WINS
Based on percentage, statistically, in women’s action after two events on the 2016 FIVB World Tour calendar, the co-leaders at 100.0% are Germany’s Laura Ludwig/Kira Walkenhorst (7-0) and Czech Republic’s Hermannova/Slukova (7-0), while tied for third at 85.7% are Italy’s Menegatti/Orsi Toth (12-2) and USA’s Jennifer Kessy/Emily Day (6-1) and tied for fifth at 80.0% each are Vanuatu’s Miller/Matauatu (4-1) and Netherlands’ Rimke Braakman/Jolien Sinnema (4-1).
For the women in match wins following two events on the 2016 FIVB calendar, leading with 12 match wins is Italy’s Menegatti/Orsi Toth while second in match wins with eight is Argentina’s Gallay/Klug (8-4). Tied for third with seven match wins are Germany’s Ludwig/Walkenhorst (7-0) and Czech Republic’s Slukova/Hermannova (7-0). Tied for fifth with six wins each so far are USA’s Kessy/Day (6-1), Brazil’s Lisboa/Elize Maia (6-2), Austria’s Hansel/S. Schwaiger (6-3), and France’s Jupiter/Longuet (6-5).
ON THE HORIZON
Placement points for the FIVB Olympic Rankings for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games continue with this week at double-gender $150,000 FIVB Maceio Open in Brazil. After Maceio, the 2016 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour will have two more double-gender events in Brazil. Next will be the FIVB Rio Grand Slam (March 8-13) and the FIVB Vitoria Open (March 15-20). In all, Brazil will host six international events in 2016. In addition to the first three events will be the FIVB Fortaleza Open (April 26-May 1), the FIVB U17 World Championships in Cabo Frio (July 12-17) and concluding with the 2016 Rio Olympic Games (Aug. 6-18).
GROWING HISTORY
The FIVB Maceio Open in Brazil will be the 334th men’s tournament since the FIVB began play in 1987 and the 296th FIVB women’s tournament since they started competition in 1992.
FIVB 2016
Based in Lausanne, Switzerland as the international governing body for the Olympic sports of Beach Volleyball and Volleyball, the 2016 FIVB Beach Volleyball calendar featured a purse of US$9 million with a season that extended from last October to this October, competing at 23 venues in 13 countries. The schedule includes five FIVB Grand Slams, three Swatch FIVB Major Series events, 14 FIVB Opens and the special Swatch FIVB World Tour Finals in the United States. The showcase event will be the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil (Aug. 6-18).
The 2015 portion of the 2016 FIVB World Tour calendar started in October in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and included two more open events prior to the remainder of the schedule resuming at the FIVB Kish Island Open in Iran in February.
ROAD TO RIO
The Olympic qualification process began in 2015 with all FIVB World Tour events (except the Swatch FIVB World Tour Finals) in 2015 up until June 13, 2016 counting towards the Olympic Ranking in order to determine 15 spots for each gender that will take part in each 24-team field in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games on Copacabana Beach in Brazil in August. Counting the FIVB Kish Island Open, 13 men’s and 11 women’s events remain on the Olympic qualifying calendar for the FIVB World Tour.
FIVB WORLD TOUR PURSES
The FIVB Grand Slam and Swatch FIVB Major Series competitions, all double-gender, each have $800,000 in total purses. The total of $500,000 will be the purse for the Swatch FIVB World Tour Season Final which will feature the top eight teams in each gender and two wild card teams.
The 14 FIVB Open tournaments on 2016 calendar, 11 double-gender, and three men’s only, have $150,000 total purses for the double gender events and $75,000 for the single-gender competitions.
The gold medal teams in each gender at FIVB Grand Slam and Swatch FIVB Major Series events split $57,000, the silver $43,000, the bronze $32,000 and fourth place $24,000. The gold medal teams in each gender at FIVB Open tournaments each split $11,000, the silver $8,000, the bronze $6,000 and fourth place $4,500.
FIVB EVENT FORMAT
Implemented in 2013, the format of all the FIVB Beach Volleyball international tournaments – whether FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships, FIVB Beach Volleyball Grand Slam or FIVB Beach Volleyball Open – are the same, featuring pool play followed by single elimination knockout rounds. Country Quota playoffs returned as needed in 2015 to determine the final teams for the qualification tournament.