Brazil opens door to FIVB World Tour at São Paulo Grand Slam

After opening the season for the last four seasons in the Brazilian capital of Brasília, the 2013 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Grand Slam in São Paulo will be the second-to-last Grand Slam of the season, the 9th tournament in the all-Grand Slam FIVB World Tour. The international beach volleyball circuit returns to the South American country for the 27th consecutive year from October 8-13. The Grand Slam season will finish with the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Grand Slam in Xiamen, China from 23-27 October 2013.

Brazil has staged a FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour event every year since the start of the international circuit for men in 1987 and women in 1992. The 2013 tournament will be the first FIVB World Tour event held in São Paulo.

With beach volleyball a major sport in the South American country, the medal totals easily reflect the intense interest in the sport as Brazil has a combined total of 112 medals (60 men, 52 women) in its home-country tournaments. USA is second with 50 total combined medals (23 men, 27 women). The other countries with more than one medal are Switzerland with six (all men), Germany with six (four men and two women), Argentina with four (all men), Australia with three (all women) and with two combined medals each are Canada (both men) and China (one each gender).

With extremely enthusiastic standing-room-only crowds in the stadium center courts each event, Brazil has earned 21 men’s gold medals out of 34 events held in Brazil followed by the USA with 11 and Germany has the other two gold medals.

In the first 29 women’s events in Brazil, the home country has earned 18 gold medals following the by the USA with 10 and China has the other gold as China’s Chen Xue/Xi Zhang won the 2012 gold medal.

Brazil has swept the podium four times in men’s competition and five times in women’s tournaments. Most recently, the Brazilian men secured the medals in 2009 in Brasília and the women’s most recent sweep was in 2008 in Guarajà.

São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city proper in the southern hemisphere and Americas and the world's eighth largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among the 10 largest metropolitan areas in the world. São Paulo is the capital of the state of São Paulo, Brazil's most populous state. It exerts strong regional influence in commerce, finance, arts and entertainment and a strong international influence. The name of the city honors Saint Paul of Tarsus.

São Paulo has the largest economy, by Gross Domestic Product (GDP), among Latin American and Brazilian cities. Its GDP per capita is the fifth highest among the larger Latin American cities and Brazil's second highest, behind Brasília.