Vienna, Austria, July 27, 2017 - Enthusiasm from both athletes and fans was on display at Vienna City Hall as a Parade of Nations kicked off the opening ceremonies for the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships presented by A1.
With the reigning Olympic champions from Brazil and Germany being presented last along with the top host country teams from Austria, more than 1,000 beach volleyball fans and local inhabitants watched the 30-minute Parade of Nations outside one of the most splendid amongst the numerous monumental buildings in the Austrian capital. The athletes then went inside to attend an official welcome dinner and the championships' technical meeting in the Festival Hall.
After the 30-minute technical meeting in the building's Festival Hall, FIVB President Dr. Ary S. Graça F°, event promoters and Vienna city officials greeted the players with Rio Olympic champions Alison Cerutti/Bruno Oscar Schmidt of Brazil and Laura Ludwig/Kira Walkenhorst of Germany in audience.
The US$1-million FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships presented by A1 opens at 10.00 (local time) with two side court matches. The men's opening match features 19th-seeded Dries Koekelkoren/Tom van Walle of Belgium meeting Rihards Finsters/Edgars Tocs of Latvia. The first women's contest features seventh-seeded Melissa Humana-Paredes/Sarah Pavan of Canada against 42nd-seeded Manon Nummerdor-Flier/Marleen Van Iersel of the Netherlands.
The first 2017 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships presented by A1 match on the Red Bull Beach Center court at 12.00 pits fourth-seeded Evandro Goncalves/Andre Loyola of Brazil against 45th-seeded Maarten van Garderen/Christiaan Varenhorst of the Netherlands.
The World Championships conclude with the men's final two matches on August 6. The women's medal contests will take place on August 5.