Lausanne, Switzerland, November 30, 2016 - One of several returning venues on the 2017 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour calendar, Sydney, Australia will host the women’s only FIVB Sydney 2-Star Open, to be held March 17-19. It will mark the second time that an FIVB international women’s event has been held in Sydney, the only other one being the 17 years ago 2000 Olympic Games played on beautiful Bondi Beach.
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Latest VideosFacebookTwitterInstagramMedia GuidesThe 2017 FIVB World Tour schedule lists three other women’s only events besides Sydney, to be held in the Principality of Monaco (June 17-18), and Korea in Daegu (July 14-16) and Ulsan (July 20-22).
The five-star structure instituted starting with the 2017 FIVB World Tour is one of the many steps taken by the FIVB to modernize and streamline its competitions in a golden period for beach volleyball on the heels of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and on the road to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
FIVB President Dr. Ary S. Graça F° said, “The aim of the new structure is to provide a platform and formation of events that increase the number of competitions in a growing number of hosting countries and create a sustainable business model while providing additional commercial flexibility and opportunities.”
In the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, Australia’s Natalie Cook/Kerri Pottharst captured the gold medal. The other two podium placements went to Brazilian tandems with Shelda Bede/Adriana Behar earning the silver and Sandra Pires/Adriana Samuel winning the bronze medal.
Overall, Australia has hosted 10 FIVB international events including the 2000 Olympic Games. On the women’s side five tournaments have been held in four different cities with Brisbane leading the way with two events. With one women’s event each have been Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.
In the women’s medal count, Brazil has dominated with 10 total medals followed by the United States (3), Australia (1) and Germany (1).
Sydney is the state capital of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds the world’s largest natural harbor and sprawls towards the Blue Mountains to the west. Residents of Sydney are known as "Sydneysiders". Sydney is the second official seat and second official residence of the Governor-General of Australia and the Prime Minister of Australia.
The Sydney area has been inhabited by indigeneous Australians for at least 30,000 years. The first British settlers, led by Captain Arthur Phillip, arrived in 1788 to find Sydney as a penal colony, the first European settlement in Australia. Since convict transportation ended in the mid-19th century, the city has transformed from a colonial outpost into a major global cultural and economic center.
As at June 2015 Sydney's estimated population was 4.92 million. In the 2011 census, 34 percent of the population reported having been born overseas, representing many different nationalities and making Sydney one of the most multicultural cities in the world. There are more than 250 different languages spoken in Sydney and about one-third of residents speak a language other than English at home.
In addition to hosting events such as the 2000 Olympic Games, Sydney is among the top 15 most-visited cities in the world, with millions of tourists coming each year to see the city's landmarks. Its natural features include Sydney Harbour, the Royal National Park and the Royal Botanic Garden. Man-made attractions such as the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Tower and the Sydney Harbor Bridge are also well known to international visitors.
The 2017 FIVB World Ranking system will include FIVB Beach Volleyball Major Series, 5-star, 4-star, 3-star, 2-star and 1-star 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 are the same, featuring 32-team pool play followed by single elimination knockout rounds.
Country quota playoffs are also held, as needed, to determine the final teams for qualification tournaments.
The first men’s FIVB World Tour event was played February 17-22, 1987 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil while the first women’s FIVB World Tour event in Brazil was played in 1993 in Rio de Janeiro. The women’s FIVB World Tour held its first tournament in Spain in 1992.