24/06/2014 15:00
Lausanne Satellite celebrates 25th anniversary with present and past stars
2014 CEV Beach Volleyball Satellites - Lausanne
Lausanne, Switzerland, June 24, 2014. The Lausanne Beach Volleyball Satellite sponsored by Coop celebrates this year its 25th anniversary and for this reason the organisers really wanted to put up a terrific show there on the shores of Lake Leman. On Thursday night an exhibition match will gather some of Switzerland’s Beach Volleyball legends, i.e. 2004 Olympic bronze medallists Patrick Heuscher and Stefan Kobel, as well as three-time European champion Paul Laciga.
The exhibition match starting at 7 pm local time will be part of a Beach Volleyball gala that also includes a match starring two women’s pairs regularly competing on the Swiss national tour. Heuscher, Kobel, and Laciga will be joined on sand by Quentin Métral, a native of Lausanne, who is by many considered as one of Switzerland’s most promising Beach Volleyball players.
Apart from the exhibition matches coming up on Thursday night, the “real” tournament will also provide Beach Volleyball fans with much excitement and world-class actions. Sébastien Chevallier and Alexei Strasser are the top-seeded team of the Lausanne Satellite and will be trying to claim the top spot of the podium by the time the tournament comes to a close on Sunday. However, they will find some tough competitors along the way, including Germany’s Sebastian Fuchs/Thomas Kaczmarek and Philipp Arne Bergmann/Finn Dittelbach. Both Kaczmarek and Dittelbach have already made the podium in Lausanne with different partners.
Latvia’s Olympian Ruslans Sorokins is also among the participants of this year’s Satellite together with young partner Edvarts Buivids. Poland’s Maciej Kosiak and Maciej Rudol, who some ten days ago were crowned U23 world champions, may also be a factor if they survive a difficult qualification round.
Switzerland’s rookies Nico Beeler and Marco Krattiger will celebrate in Lausanne their international debut after receiving a wild-card to join the main draw. They very much hope to turn into the real sensation of the tournament by exploiting the home advantage and playing before their friends and family.
The 25th edition of the Lausanne Satellite will also pay tribute to the ‘90s and to the early days of Beach Volleyball in the Olympic city. Therefore music, dances and clothing will all show a connection with the last years of the XX century. From Thursday to Saturday there will be night sessions at the venue set up nearby the iconic Ouchy harbour thanks to Nativa®, the 100% renewable energy provided by the Services Industriels de Lausanne.
Click here for more information or visit the official website www.beachvolleylausanne.ch
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