FIVB Beach Volleyball Grand Slam returns to Brazil

The FIVB Brazil Grand Slam is the last of ten double gender Grand Slam events on the 2014 FIVB Beach Volleyball international calendar. The FIVB returns to Brazil for the 27th consecutive year with Rio de Janeiro hosting the first men’s event in Brazil in 1987 and the first women’s event in 1993.

The home of international pro beach volleyball, 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 in Brazil was the first FIVB World Tour event held in São Paulo.

With FIVB international 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 114 medals (61 men, 53 women) in its home-country tournaments. USA is second with 52 total combined medals (24 men, 28 women). The other countries with more than one medal are Switzerland with six (all men), Germany with seven (four men and three 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 22 men’s gold medals out of 35 events held in Brazil followed by the USA with 11 and Germany has the other two gold medals.

In the first 30 women’s events in Brazil, the home country has earned 18 gold medals following the by the USA with 11 and China has the other gold.

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.

Of six FIVB World Tour stops in Fortaleza, Brazil has won 12 men’s medals followed three by the United States and one each by Argentina, Cuba and Norway. In the four women’s events in Fortaleza, the USA leads with seven medals with Brazil capturing the other five medals.

In the 2013 FIVB World Tour Braziliana stop in São Paulo, Brazil’s Pedro Salgado/Bruno Oscar Schmidt won the gold medal while capturing the women’s gold medal was USA’s new team of Kerri Walsh Jennings/April Ross.

11 Brazilian cities have hosted an international FIVB beach volleyball event - Fortaleza, Brasília, Guarajà, Joao Pessoa, Maceio, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Santos, São Paulo and Vitoria.

The 2014 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour will include 10 double-gender FIVB Grand Slam tournaments along with the inaugural FIVB Grand Slam and eleven FIVB Beach Volleyball Open events.

This year's FIVB World Ranking system will include FIVB Beach Volleyball Grand Slam and 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 – 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.

The 2014-2016 FIVB Beach Volleyball Continental Cup also returns this year as it starts its portion of the qualification process for the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games.