Gstaad, Switzerland, July 9 2017 – FIVB President Dr. Ary S. Graça F° attended the Gstaad Major this week and praised the beach volleyball tournament for setting such a high standard, both on and off the court.
In its record 18th year as one of the showpiece events on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour calendar, the Gstaad Major, a 5-star event under the FIVB’s new event structure, once more demonstrated why it is loved by both fans and players. President Graça was in attendance and believes that the Swiss tournament is an example to follow.
“It is always a pleasure to attend the Gstaad Major,” President Graça said. “Whether it is for the athletes playing or the fans spectating, the surroundings, facilities and quality of action are consistently world class.
President Graça met with the event organisers in Gstaad“I would encourage national federations to learn from this great competition. We are fortunate in the FIVB to have many excellent events and it is only with events like this that we can realise our dream of becoming the world’s number one family sport.”
In the innovative new structure which was laid out by the FIVB last year, each event on the calendar is ranked from 1-5 stars. Five star competitions such as the Gstaad Major are considered the highest level elite events while those lower ranked will be used to develop the sport around the world, providing smaller nations with the opportunity to gain hosting experience and inspire their country to engage in volleyball.
Quality was not just exhibited in the hosting and venue standard but continued on the court where the American men’s team of Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena secured victory in the mountains with a win over Poland on Sunday. In the women’s final German pairing Chantal Laboureur and Julia Sude triumphed over reigning champions Larissa Franca and Talita Antunes from Brazil. Earlier in the week, Brazilians Gustavo "Guto" Carvalhaes and Pedro Solberg also made World Tour history after winning a match for the ninth-straight day.
President Graça in a selfie with silver medallists Larissa and Talita from Brazil
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