Come May 2019, ParaVolley history will be made on the beach!
The World ParaVolley is set to stage the first ever Beach ParaVolley (Standing) World Series event with the 2019 Pingtan Beach World Series Open set to take place on 9-12 May 2019 in Pingtan, Fuzhou, China.
In a bid to be a Paralympic sport come the 2028 Los Angeles games, World ParaVolley will focus its international beach events on Beach ParaVolley (Standing).
“Following the decision by the World ParaVolley General Assembly to have Beach ParaVolley in the LA2028 Paralympic Games as a major goal and with IPC President Andrew Parson’s personal backing behind the bid, I’m pleased to say Beach ParaVolley (Standing) is on the move,” World ParaVolley President Barry Couzner OAM said.
The Pingtan Beach World Series Open is just the first of World ParaVolley’s planned events for the sport’s Paralympic campaign.
Another Zonal Open event and World Championships are set to be staged in 2019, as well, in order to establish the Beach ParaVolley (Standing) World Series and give teams from all over the world a chance to compete at the highest level.
The momentum to have the sport included in the Paralympics has already started with 12 teams from Kazakhstan, Poland, Slovakia, Latvia, Russia and Uzbekistan participating in a Beach ParaVolley (Standing) event in 2018 while Brazil successfully hosted the Decathlon Beach ParaVolley (Standing) Tournament in August.
This Beach ParaVolley (Standing) event may have male, female or mixed teams, depending on entries, that are due in March. Teams may come from any World ParaVolley Zone.
Pingtan Island is the 5th largest island in China, located on the east coast, and connected by a 5km bridge to the mainland. Naturally, seafood features on the food menus.
Promoter Yiming Sports will support the event with all of the necessary infrastructure and services in cooperation with World ParaVolley. The courts will be located right on the beach, a short distance from the Hotels.
For more information, email the Assistant Sport Director, Dr Stephen Giugni OAM on stephen.giugni(at)gmail.com