Beach Volleyball World Championships Enthrall Poland

(ATR) With the small Polish lakeside resort of Stare Jablonki as the setting, the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships have witnessed highly enthusiastic crowds and other than a few afternoon showers, mostly cooperative weather this week.

Ninety-six teams from 31 countries are competing in the picturesque village, which has been a regular stop on tour since 2004. Stare Jablonki is located in the Mazury region of Poland 220 kilometers north of Warsaw.

The 100,000 square meter venue consists of seven full-size courts, a cozy beach, a concert stage on the shore of Lake Szelag and a stadium built for the championships which can accommodate 9,000 spectators.

"I love it here – it’s gorgeous everywhere you look," said 2012 Olympic silver medalist April Ross. "These are some of the best fans in the world. Polish fans love volleyball and they are coming out in droves. On a Wednesday, the stadium was almost full for a Polish game."

"It’s just really exciting to play in Poland and there’s a lot of history in the sport here," Ross said. "They’ve done a really good job with the venue and it feels really big for me."

The most rousing applause of the week has been for Poland’s top-ranked duo of Grzegorz Fijalek and Marius Prudel, who reached the quarterfinals at the London Olympics last summer and went 3-0 in pool play here.

"With all the people cheering for us, it has been a really fantastic atmosphere," Fijalek said after their opening victory. "It’s a small village with the lake and the tournament is really crazy here. Everybody asks me how they can do it, but it’s really great and everybody in Poland loves beach volleyball."

"I have to say that Poland is one of only a few countries where volleyball is very close in popularity to football," said Angelo Squeo, technical supervisor for the FIVB.

"Brazil is one and Poland, for sure, is the other," Squeo said. "They are passionate fans here and you will a feel a huge energy here over the final days that you cannot even imagine. Poland deserved this tournament."

This week’s tournament is the ninth edition of the FIVB beach volleyball showcase event – held every two years – but the first staged in Poland. The total purse, divided evenly between the men and women is $1,000,000.

On Thursday, the ladies began the elimination round, while the men completed pool play. Women’s semifinals and medal matches will be contested on Saturday evening and the men’s finale on Sunday.

Honda Sponsorship

Prominently on display in Stare Jablonki is Honda, FIVB’s newest corporate partner. With an agreement reached in late May, the Japanese car manufacturer is the federation’s first official partner for both professional and elite volleyball as well as beach volleyball.

The four-year agreement is the first major sponsorship signed under the leadership of new FIVB president Ary Graça, who was elected in September 2012.

"For the first time ever, the FIVB has signed a partnership with an international brand across both disciplines," Graça said about the deal. "This step represents a major milestone for the FIVB and it is part of the new era for the Federation following the success of our sport at London 2012."

Carrying Momentum from London

At the London Olympics, beach volleyball captured the attention of new fans with matches being contested on the Prime Minister’s doorstep at the Horse Guards Parade venue. It ranked among the top five sports at the Games in terms of ticket sales.

"I think we need to preserve the great legacy of the London Olympics to the world championships here and keep the interest of media, fans and sponsors at the highest possible level," said Angelo Squeo, events director for the FIVB.

"We need to experiment with social media and new media and be connected with the entire world because today they are such powerful mediums," Squeo said. "We can test the air on how we can reach the audience and I think we’re going in the right way."

Squeo, who has worked for the federation at all five Olympics that beach volleyball has been contested since the sport’s debut in Atlanta 1996, emphasized the significance of also putting on an innovative live event for the fans in the stadium.

"I think it’s important for us to have novative ideas regarding sport production," he said. "London was a big hit creating an experience for the spectators and fans all over the world so we want to go beyond the limit here also."

In Poland, the games have been enhanced with blaring music between points, an energetic announcer encouraging the crowd to remain loud and scantily clad cheerleaders. Other than a brief scoreboard problem on Thursday, the event production has gone as planned.

"And lastly, we want to create a new philosophy with TV production," Squeo added. "I think with ultra slow motion cameras and 10 cameras total here, we can make those watching at home feel like they are here sitting in the first row."

Mother Nature, Not Age, Slows Down Five-time Olympian

The men’s competition began on Tuesday, with the Brazilian 2012 Olympic silver medalists Emanuel Rego and Alison Cerutti playing their opening match on center court, torrential rains quickly moved in, soaking players, fans and media. Accompanied by gusting winds and occasional hail, the spectacular storm forced a delay in competition that lasted over an hour.

"It was very surprising because we were just getting into our rhythm and then all the trees began swaying and the leaves were coming inside the court," said Rego, 40, a three-time Olympic medalist. "It was very hard to play and then the thunderstorm came."

The sun eventually returned and the reigning world champions defeated their Polish competitors in a three-set match that, including the delay, lasted a lengthyone-hour and 48 minutes.

On Wednesday, just minutes after Rego and Cerutti returned to stadium court for their second afternoon match, the rains came again forcing competitors to take shelter. After a shorter delay than the previous delay, the dominant Brazilian duo cruised to their second victory.

Fourth of July in Poland

The United States has been represented by four teams in each gender this week in Poland at the championships. With Thursday being the 4th of July – when Americans traditionally celebrate their independence grilling hamburgers and hot dogs, playing horseshoes or even backyard volleyball and watching fireworks – all eight U.S. teams had work to do on their holiday.

"It’s the biggest honor in the world to wear USA on the chest and especially playing today it’s really special for us," said two-time Olympian Jake Gibb.

Seven-foot-one-inch Ryan Doherty is wearing the red, white and blue for the U.S. at his first world championships, partnering with 2008 Olympic gold medalist, Todd Rogers.

"I would rather be home watching fireworks with a burger, but I was really proud to represent my country here on the Fourth of July," Doherty said.

"We have a good crew here and all of us Americans are really good friends," added Gibb. "So we’ll do a little something fun to celebrate the holiday for sure."

Reported by Brian Pinelli in Stare Jablonki.