06/08/2014 11:10
CEV Vaduz Satellite celebrates tenth anniversary with strong line-up
2014 CEV Beach Volleyball Satellite - Vaduz
Vaduz, Liechtenstein, August 6, 2014. The CEV Satellite tournament taking place in Vaduz, the capital city of Liechtenstein, celebrates this year its tenth anniversary. The Satellite has become one of the major sporting and social highlights in the tiny Alpine country where every year a Beach Volleyball stadium with a capacity of 1,000 is set up in Vaduz downtown. The 2014 edition is set to get underway today, August 6, and will continue through to Sunday, August 10. The women’s competition will come to an end on Saturday night with the final matches to be followed 24 hours later by the last stage of the men’s tournament.
The Vaduz Satellite was first held in 2005 with the goal being the provision of another sporting event to the local Volleyball family thereby expanding its schedule beyond the “ordinary” indoor season. The core of the local Organising Committee consists of brothers Patrick and Philippe Schürmann, the latter being an accomplished international referee and President of the Liechtenstein Volleyball Federation as well. Markus Goop has also been a member of the local staff since the early days of the tournament which every year turns Vaduz downtown, also known as Städtle among the locals, into a real Beach Volleyball “Mecca”.
The Satellite is not just an event for Vaduz and Liechtenstein, but also for the neighbouring regions. The event has received positive reviews also by the CEV for its professional set-up and high-level competition. Some 150 volunteers are involved every year; without their help and assistance this tournament wouldn’t exist at all. Beach Volleyball has also attracted the attention of sponsors and partners who have opted for a long-term commitment to support the Satellite. These include, inter alia, 1to1 energy and Erlebe Vaduz, and with their help the organisers have been able to increase the capacity of the centre court as well as to add some more hospitality services.
The figures from the last editions are very encouraging: if blessed by good weather, the five-day tournament was visited by as many as 10,000 people, whereas another 5,500 per day have followed the event on the web, mainly via its official Facebook account.
The main draw of this year’s Satellite in Vaduz includes 16 teams per gender whereas another 24 are set to enter the qualification round. Vaduz hosts one of seven CEV Satellite events on schedule for this year. Many up-and-coming teams have regularly attended the Vaduz Satellite to collect valuable points to move up in the rankings and get the right to join the more lucrative CEV Masters or stops of the FIVB World Tour.
The entry lists for the 2014 edition are topped by two German teams, Sebastian Fuchs/Thomas Kaczmarek and Kim Behrens/Sandra Seyfferth. The host country will be represented by two pairs entering the women’s competition: Claudia Hasler/Petra Schifferle-Walser and Nina Ludwig/Ramona Kaiser are both already pre-seeded in the main draw that will start on Thursday.
Click here for more info on the CEV Vaduz Satellite tournament
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