96 teams confirmed for the 2011 SWATCH FIVB World Championship – Beach Volleyball update
The exciting beach volleyball event, 2011 SWATCH FIVB World Championship, is scheduled to take centre stage from June 13 to 19 in Rome, Italy. Aspiring beach volleyball teams of both genders from all across the globe are getting ready for the upcoming international
event. A total of 96 teams from 31 countries will hit the sands of Rome in the second week of June. The grid of 96 teams includes 48 men’s pairs from 25 countries and same number of women’s duos from 22 countries. The men’s and women’s competition will start
and end on the same dates.
Men’s teams
In the men’s division, athletes from Denmark, Angola, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, the Ukraine and the United States will join the competition.
Most of the countries will have more than one team. For instance, Brazil will be represented by five teams. United States, Switzerland, Russia, and Germany will be competing with four teams apiece. The host country, Italy, will send three teams in competition.
Similarly, the countries playing with two teams are Latvia, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Angola, Austria, Australia, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Georgia, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and the Ukraine.
Women’s teams
In the women’s section, teams from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Mauritius, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Spain, Switzerland and the United
States will showcase their skills.
Five German duos will grace the event, while Brazil will have four tough teams in the competition. Italy, United States and Netherlands will also compete with four teams. Austria, Canada, China, Great Britain, Russia and Switzerland will have two entries
each. Mauritius, Norway, Georgia, Greece, Belgium, Finland, Latvia, Spain and Mexico will have one pair apiece.
The tournament will be open with the Country Quota Playoffs. Countries with more than two teams will have to make a mandatory appearance in the CQ stage. The successful teams in the CQs will advance to the Qualification Tournament. The competition will progress
with the elimination bracket and only the best teams will reach the 32-team Main Draw. Some of the high ranking teams such as the top-seeds in both categories will open the tournament directly in the Main-Draw.
The Main-Draw stage will be followed by a final round and the event will round off with the ‘final four’ matches on June 19.
The American duo of Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers is likely to create a lot of buzz in the men’s competition. On the other hand, Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca will be the hot favourites in women’s division.
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