The 12th FIVB World Beach Volleyball Championships returns to Germany for the first time since 2005 – this time in Hamburg – with 48 men’s and women’s teams ready to compete. The Worlds are held every two years.
The tournament will feature pool play from the 28th into the 2 July for the women, and then playoffs with 32 teams from the second through 6 July for the final matches. The men’s pool play will run from 28 June into 3 July, with playoffs from the 3rd through the 7th. The top seeds:
Men:
1. Anders Mol/Christian Sorum (NOR) ~ 5 FIVB World Tour wins this season
2. Grzegorz Fijalek/Michal Bryl (POL) ~ 3 World Tour medals this season
3. Oleg Stoyanovskiy/Viacheslav Krasilnikov (RUS) ~ The Hague & Xiamen Open winners
4. Cherif Younousse/Ahmed Tijan (QAT) ~ Xiamen Open bronze medalists
5. Konstantin Semenov/Ilya Leshukov (RUS) ~ Yangzhou Open winners
6. Phil Dalhausser/Nick Lucena (USA) ~ Dalhausser: 2007 World Champion
7. Jacob Gibb/Taylor Crabb (USA)
8. Paolo Nicolai/Daniele Lupo (ITA)
Women:
1. Sandra Ittlinger/Chantal Labroureur (GER)
2. Katharina Schutzenhofer/Lena Plesiutschnig (AUT)
3. Heather Bansley/Brandie Wilkerson (CAN) ~ Las Vegas & Chetumai Open winners
4. Ana Patricia Silva Ramos/Rebecca Cavalcanti (BRA) ~ Qinzhou & The Hague winners
5. Alix Klineman/April Ross (USA) ~ Itapema Open winners
6. Agatha Bednarczuk/Duda Lisboa (BRA) ~ Ostrava Open winners
7. Taliqua Clancy/Mariafe Artacho (AUS) ~ Warsaw Open winners
8. Sanne Keizer/Madelein Meppelink (NED) ~ Ostrava Open bronze medalists
Czech stars Barbora Hermannova suffered a right toe injury and she and Marketa Slulova – the no. 2 seeds – had to withdraw.
Brazilian teams have won the men’s title in seven of the 11 prior editions, and three of the last four. In the women’s tournament, Brazilian pairs have won five titles and U.S. pairs have won four. Even more impressive: Brazilian men have won medals in 10 of the 11 Worlds; Brazilian women have won medals in all of them!
There is $1 million in total prize money in this tournament, with $60,000 to the men’s and women’s winners, then $45,000-35,000-28,000 for 2nd-3rd-4th and on down to $3,400 for places 37-48. Look for match schedules and results here.
