An International Beach Volleyball Tournament will be Held in the Technion, Haifa
The first beach volleyball tournament of its kind will be held as part of the Technion cornerstone centennial celebrations: the event will take place between April
1st and 4th, 2012 in the Technion Sports Center on an artificial beach to be built especially for this occasion. The tournament is recognized by the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), and will be attended by some of the leading players in the world; the prizes will amount to $50,000
The first beach volleyball tournament of its kind will be held as part of the Technion cornerstone centennial celebrations: the event will take place between April 1st and 4th, 2012 in the Technion Sports Center on an artificial beach to be built especially for this occasion. The tournament is recognized by the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), and will be attended by some of the leading players in the world; the prizes will amount to $50,000.
The tournament will be divided into two parts: an Israel State Cup and the international tournament. The competitors in the Israel State Cup will be students from various academic institutions in Israel, among them the Technion, Tel Aviv University and Ben Gurion University, and the winning pair will participate in the international tournament.
Fourteen pairs of men and women from abroad will take part in the international tournament. Among the pairs who confirmed their participation are top ranking players from all over the world: the Brazilian pair Benjamin-Harley, who won first place in the 2011 World Championship as well as 12 gold medals over the years, and Pablo Herrera from Spain, who won a silver medal in the Athens Olympics together with his partner Adrian Gavira, who finished fifth in the two last world championships and who won a bronze medal in the European championship. The women’s tournament will be attended by Hana Klapalova and Lenka Hájec(ková from the Czech Republic, who finished fourth in the last world championship, one place before the Americans Lauren Fendrick and Brooke Hanson, who will also participate in the tournament.
The event will open on April 1st with a festive ceremony, and the Israel State Cup will be held on this day. The international tournament will be held between April 2nd and 4th. The grand final is scheduled to take place on April 4th, and the event will be concluded with a festive closing ceremony.
During the tournament days, the Technion students will enjoy a performance by the Technion Salsa and Dance Group, a pool party and an earphone party. In addition, players from abroad will enjoy tours to Nazareth and Caesarea.
Beach volleyball is usually played by two players in each group, and most of the game rules resemble regular volleyball rules. The first beach volleyball game was played in 1920 in California. It was introduced in the Olympic Games in 1996 and today there are the beach volleyball leagues in most countries.
The tournament is held in collaboration with the Israel Volleyball Association and the Municipality of Haifa.