06/05/2014 16:00
Everything is set for second edition of CEV Satellite in Antalya
2014 CEV Beach Volleyball Satellite Antalya
Antalya, Turkey, May 6, 2014. The CEV Satellite tournament in Antalya got officially underway on Tuesday with a press conference held at the premises of the WOW Kremlin Palace Hotel. The media meeting was attended by CEV Supervisor Joep van Iersel, the President of the Turkish Volleyball Federation, Özkan Mutlugil, by Tournament Director and the Event Promoter, Mr. Oguz Degirmenci and Gursel Yesiltas, by the Marketing and E-commerce Manager of the WOW Hotels, Ms. Seha Büyükkalfa, as well as by four players of Turkey’s national team, Murat Giginoglu, Selcuk Sekerci, Meliha Ismailoglu and Bahanur Sahin.
Tournament Director Oguz Degirmenci addressed the audience recapping the rules that will be tested during this tournament:
- Matches will be played in a best of five format, with sets up to 15 points with a minimum lead of 2 points;
- In case of a 2-2 tie, the deciding fifth set will be played up to 7 points with a minimum lead of 2 points;
- Every team will be allowed to take 3 time-outs throughout the match, no more than 1 per set;
- Teams will switch sides of the court every 7 points in sets 1 to 4 and every 4 points in the eventual fifth set.
TVF President Mutlugil stressed the importance of the event which marks the second straight year a CEV Satellite tournament is taking place in Antalya: “This city is a real paradise for tourists but we also get to see that more and more Volleyball events are taking place here. There are many players, even from abroad, who are coming here to prepare for the start of the season or for other tournaments. Turkey is a country which has a natural connection with Beach Volleyball and we are taking important actions in order to support the development of this sport. We have created a facility at Akdeniz University that next week will be hosting the final stage of the inaugural CEV Youth Continental Cup, the event qualifying teams for the 2014 Youth Olympics in Nanjing. This Satellite tournament is also a very important event where teams can get valuable ranking points. I wish the best of luck to our pairs as well as to all other participating teams.”
“There is a mix of experienced and young players here,” said CEV Technical Supervisor Joep van Iersel of the Netherlands. “I would like to thank the many people who have worked hard to set up the facilities required for this tournament. I do expect a very high-level tournament and I am convinced that we will get yet again the proof that Antalya is the right place where this kind of events can be held.”
Promoter Gursel Yesiltas expressed his gratitude to the Turkish Volleyball Federation, the WOW Hotels and to the main sponsor of the tournament, hoping that this second edition of the CEV Satellite will turn into a major success.
“We have seen that people have been working really hard for this tournament. We are very keen to provide good facilities for athletes and so our support to Beach Volleyball is going to continue,” said the Marketing and E-commerce Manager of WOW Hotels, Seha Büyükkalfa.
Back to the players who will carry the hopes of the host country, Bahanur Sahin said: “I played at the World Championship in Alanya when I was 17 and last year I came back here to join the Pro Beach Volleyball Tour organised by our Federation. I like playing Beach Volleyball. I think we can learn a lot from the other players competing at this tournament. This is going to be a great experience for us.”
“I started playing Beach Volleyball last year,” said her partner Meliha Ismailoglu. “This is the first time I am participating in an international tournament of this calibre. We will try to do our best to represent our country in the best way and we want to thank the Turkish Volleyball Federation for this opportunity.”
Last year’s semi-finalists and Turkey’s best duo Murat Giginoglu and Selcuk Sekerci said this time they would like to make the final of the tournament and “they want to impress the local fans with their performance in this event.”
The press conference was preceded by a referee clinic where the local and international referees got familiar – first theoretically and then also practically – with the rules that will be tested during the tournament.
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