22/01/2014 12:00
Latvia’s most popular seaside resort Jurmala to host CEV Satellite in late August
2014 CEV Beach Volleyball Satellite - Jurmala
Jurmala/Riga, Latvia, January 22, 2014. Though a relatively small country, Latvia has developed into one of the major forces to be reckoned with in Beach Volleyball. After Martins Plavins and Janis Smedins won bronze at the London Olympics in 2012, last year the latter teamed up with Aleksandrs Samoilovs to compose a duo that in the end topped the charts of the FIVB World Tour and added a silver medal from the CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship in Klagenfurt to their resume. That said, it was time for Latvia to play host to an international tournament and namely to a CEV Satellite which is scheduled for August 28-31 and will take place in the country’s largest and most popular seaside resort, Jurmala.
Jurmala is located only 25 km west of Latvia’s capital city Riga and is well-known for its 26-km long beach punctuated by pine trees, with the river Lielupe adding some extra charm to the local landscape. The city is equipped with excellent sports facilities which suit to the needs of Beach Volleyball, soccer and a wide range of water sports. Jurmala plays host to more than 125 sporting events a year, including three international marathons, a three-day ice hockey tournament, an international beach handball competition, as well as events in chess, rhythmic gymnastics, water boat racing, boxing, tennis, and much more.
The city is also well positioned on the Beach Volleyball map for the Latvian Championship has regularly stopped there and Jurmala has also played host to the annual “King of the Beach” tournament.
The very first, experimental edition of the CEV U20 Beach Volleyball European Championship was held in Jurmala in 1996 with home heroes Austris Stals and Armins Vensbergs winning gold while their countrymen Klavs Zalkalns and Aidis Jaundzeikars settled for bronze.
Time has finally come for Jurmala to welcome a good share of Europe’s Beach Volleyball elite with a CEV Men’s Satellite tournament set to take place there from August 28 through 31.
The event was just added to the CEV calendar for the 2014 season and will be promoted with the help of Latvia’s Beach Volleyball star Aleksandrs Samoilovs. The “Lion King” as he is nicknamed was just awarded as Jurmala’s Citizen of the Year 2013. “I am very happy with the fact that Jurmala will organize an international tournament” he says. “I am confident that this is only the first step on the way to make Jurmala the venue of other world-class competitions,” he adds. 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Martins Plavins has already confirmed that he will compete at the CEV Satellite. The tournament will also turn into an excellent opportunity for some of Latvia’s young and up-and-coming players to compete internationally and get to see where they stand while playing before the home audience.
Picture: from left to right the Vice Mayor of Jurmala Romans Mezeckis, the Lord Mayor of Jurmala Gatis Truksnis, the President of the Latvian Volleyball Federation (LVF) Atis Sausnitis, Beach Volleyball star Aleksandrs Samoilovs and LVF Secretary General Almers Ludviks
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