Lausanne, Switzerland, December 15, 2016 – Julius Brink is already licking his lips in anticipation for the start of the 2017 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour.
The London 2012 Olympic champion was able to enjoy himself as a fan at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games when his fellow Germans Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst followed in his and Jonas Reckermann’s footsteps by winning Olympic gold.
He was then on duty when they topped the podium at the Toronto 2016, FIVB World Tour Finals as part of the Major Series presentation team.
Looking ahead to some of the events on the 2017 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour, Brink said: “It’s a long calendar and for Germans it is a good start in Fiji in January and Fort Lauderdale in February because it is very cold back home.
“Then there’s the World Championships in Vienna, which everyone in the beach volleyball family is looking forward to. The Olympics are still fresh in my mind with the images of the German girls finishing with gold and then Alison winning gold in the men’s after winning silver in London. They will have big aims for the world champs in Vienna.”
The 2017 FIVB Beach Volleyball calendar features 24 tournaments with 21 World Tour events ranging from one to five stars in the new ranking system. The World Tour Finals that run from 22-27 August in a yet to be announced location will be the 23rd tournament on the calendar.
Popular venues such as Rio de Janeiro, Gstaad, Porec, Hamburg and Moscow all continue to host events, while there is also a return to Rome for the first time since 2013.
Fiji hosts the first one-star tournament in January, while the FIVB will also take a tournament back to Africa, with Agadir in Morocco hosting a one-star tournament in July.
“As I’m German I’m very happy we have the Major in Hamburg,” Brink said. “Sydney is back, which I really like. I think the players will be really happy with the amount of competitions they can play.
“It is good that we have a wide range of tournaments and go to all the continents. We are back in Africa and back in Morocco. Delivering beach volleyball to the American market too is important because they have a big audience over there.
“Germany will be pleased to see their gold girls back in Hamburg and Porec is still growing and it is a great location on the coast. It is important to open up our sport to a wide range of fans all over the world.”