Beach paravolley was featured in the AeQuilibrium Beach Volley Marathon, part of the first Italian beach volleyball tournament that will have athletes at all levels, with or without a disability, competing together in the Northern Italian town of Bibione on May 13 to 15.
Dubbed as a tournament with no boundaries, the Venetian location offered athletes with diverse abilities to converge and play on the over 300 courts on the beach. This year, the tournament featured athletes with disability with two 3 v 3 inclusive categories – standing and sitting beach paravolley.
“We are very happy that sitting volley will be played on the sand as well,” said FIPAV national technical coordinator and ParaVolley Europe marketing director Guido Pasciari. “In Italy, we are investing a lot in this discipline that is giving us great satisfaction. We believe that these kinds of events can be an important driving force to explore new inclusiveness possibilities. We are sure that we will have three intense and fun sports days in Bibione.”
“We, at ParaVolley Europe, are delighted to have our beach discipline included in the programme of the prestigious AeQuilibrium Beach Volley Marathon to continue the promotion of Beach ParaVolley in Europe,” said ParaVolley Europe president Branko Mihorko. “We are looking forward to showcasing this very inclusive discipline together with another beach version of paravolley – beach sitting volleyball. No doubt the Italian hospitality will make this event one to remember.”
A special demonstration of beach sitting volleyball took place on centre court to introduce the discipline to the fans. Italian and Slovenian players participated together with famous beach volleyball players Matteo Ingrosso and Davis Krumins.
The event concluded with Poland being reaching the top podium with a victory over Slovakia 2-0 (21-14, 21-8) to complete their unbeaten run in the tournament, while hosts Italy claimed bronze as they triumphed over Hungary.
The awarding ceremony took place right after the final match and PVE president Branko Mihorko awarded the top three teams, while Beach Volley Marathon director Enzo Chinellato received a special recognition from PVE – a golden ball, a symbol of the successful collaboration for the organisation of the beach paravolley tournament.
Photo credit: ParaVolley Europe