07/08/2013 14:00
Lithuanian teams present their candidacy to home glory in Vilnius
2013 CEV U20 Beach Volleyball European Championship
Vilnius, Lithuania, August, 7, 2013. The 2013 CEV U20 Beach Volleyball European Championship lived its official start with the inaugural press conference, an event that showcased the illusions and emotions brought by this spectacular tournament. The future of Beach Volleyball gathers this week in Vilnius for the celebration of an exciting competition that will determine the best up-and-coming teams in Europe.
The Credit24 Arena in Vilnius held this Wednesday the official presentation of the 2013 CEV U20 Beach Volleyball European Championship. Local stars, organizers and CEV representatives joined in the sand of the spectacular venue of the Lithuanian capital for a press conference that opened the flow of emotions expected for this week.
“Hopefully it will be a good tournament for us”, said Marius Vasiliauskas, president of the Lithuanian Volleyball Federation; “we expect that our top teams, Dumbauskaite/Povilaityte in women’s competition and Rumsevicius/Kazdailis in men’s tournament will reach the final stages of the event and will finish among the best six teams. As for our remaining teams, Navickas/Vaskelis and Andriukaityte/Vaiciukynaite, they are still quite young, so we will be happy if they pass the pool round”, added Vasiliauskas, who also acts as tournament director.
The press conference was attended by the four local teams, the president of the Lithuanian Federation, as well as CEV Technical Supervisor Henrique Gomes, who welcomed the hopes created around the event and around the participation of the Lithuanian duos. “It is good to see that Lithuania is not just about basketball but also lives Beach Volleyball with passion. It is the evidence that Lithuania also believes in this sport and that the Federation is doing a great work”, said Gomes, who also acted as CEV Technical Supervisor at the CEV U18 European Championship held in Vilnius in 2011. “I expect good matches, a great show, good results and with any luck a lot of fans will come and the Arena will be crowded during the whole tournament”, pointed out Gomes.
Lithuanian fans are living this event with excitement, especially since the team Dumbauskaite/Povilaityte comes to the tournament as one of the main contenders for the title in the women’s competition. “Yes, our goal are the medals but we will see how the draw (for the pools) goes and how the tournament progresses”, pointed out Ieva Dumbauskaite. Asked about the impact of the hot weather that will likely mark the first days of competition, the local stars downplayed the influence of the climate on their performance. “We are used to it, so we will be fine”, added Monika Povilaityte. The competition will start on Thursday morning, with the first matches for pool play. The finals are scheduled for Sunday.
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