Lausanne, Switzerland, January 11, 2017 - After hosting five events in 2016, the only event in Brazil on the 2017 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour calendar will be the double-gender FIVB Rio de Janeiro 4-Star event, to be held from May 18 to 21. It will be the 28th time for an FIVB World Tour men’s event in Rio and the third for the women.
The five-star structure instituted starting with the 2017 FIVB World Tour is one of the many steps taken by the FIVB to modernize and streamline its competitions in a golden period for beach volleyball on the heels of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and on the road to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
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Latest VideosFacebookTwitterInstagramMedia GuidesFIVB President Dr. Ary S. Graça F° said, “The aim of the new structure is to provide a platform and formation of events that increase the number of competitions in a growing number of hosting countries and create a sustainable business model while providing additional commercial flexibility and opportunities.”
Last year at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, winning the Olympic gold medal for the men was Brazil’s Alison Cerutti/Bruno Oscar Schmidt while capturing Olympic gold for the women was Germany’s Laura Ludwig/Kira Walkenhorst.
For the men last year, the silver medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games went to Italy’s Daniele Lupo/Paolo Nicolai and the bronze was won by the Netherlands’ Alexander Brouwer/Robert Meeuwsen.
For the women last year at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, earning the silver medal was Brazil’s Agatha Bednarczuk/Barbara Seixas and capturing the bronze medal was USA’s April Ross/Kerri Walsh Jennings.
Overall, Brazil has hosted 79 total previous FIVB World Tour events (42 men, 37 women), at least one has been held every season that the FIVB has played beach volleyball. Rio de Janeiro has hosted 27 total events (17 men, 10 2women), including the 1999 World Championships and 2016 Olympic Games. Fortaleza has hosted 12 total events, followed by Vitória with 10, Brasília with eight total events, and Salvador with seven.
In the medal count for events held in the South American country, Brazil is far ahead in both genders. For the men, Brazil has 69 total medals followed by the United States with 25, Germany 6, Switzerland 6, Argentina 4, Netherlands 4, Canada 2, Italy 2, Latvia 2, Poland 2, China 1, Cuba 1, Mexico 1 and Norway 1.
In women’s medals for FIVB events held in Brazil, Brazil tops the chart with 63 followed again by the USA with 31, Germany 6, Australia 3, Netherlands 3, Italy 2, China 1, Japan 1 and Poland 1.
Rio de Janeiro (River of January in Portuguese) is the second-largest city in Brazil, the sixth-largest city in the Americas and the world’s 39th largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the Rio de Janeiro is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s third-most populous state.
Rio de Janeiro is one of the most visited cities in the Southern Hemisphere and is known for its natural settings, Carnival, samba, bossa nova and balneario beaches like Barra Tijuca, Copocabana, Ipanema and Leblon. In addition to the beaches, some of the most famous landmarks include the giant statue of Christ the Redeemer atop Corcovado mountain, named one of the new seven wonders of the world; Sugarloaf Mountain with its cable car; the Sambodromo, a permanent grandstand-lined parade avenue which is used during Carnival; and Maracana Stadium, one of the world’s largest football (soccer) stadiums.
Rio de Janeiro hosted the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2016 Summer Paralympics—the first time a South American and Portuguese-speaking nation will host these events, and the third time the Olympics were held in a Southern Hemisphere city.
The highlight of the 2017 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour calendar will be the 2017 FIVB World Championships, a 48-team (per gender) event to be held July 28-August 6 in Vienna, Austria.
The 2017 FIVB World Ranking system will include FIVB Beach Volleyball Major Series, 5-star, 4-star, 3-star, 2-star and 1-star Open events along with additional pre-approved events at the inter-continental, continental and national levels.
Implemented in 2013, the format of all the FIVB Beach Volleyball international tournaments are the same, featuring 32-team pool play followed by single elimination knockout rounds.
Country quota playoffs are also held, as needed, to determine the final teams for qualification tournaments.
The first men’s FIVB World Tour event was played February 17-22, 1987 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil while the first women’s FIVB World Tour event in Brazil was played in 1993 in Rio de Janeiro. The women’s FIVB World Tour held its first tournament in Spain in 1992.