26/05/2016 16:12
Closing ceremony caps three historic days for Faroese Volleyball family
2018 FIVB Women's World Championship / 2017 CEV Volleyball European Championship - Small Countries Division
Tórshavn, Faroe Islands, May 26, 2016. Three days of international Volleyball competition drew to a close on Wednesday night in the Faroese capital with Cyprus topping the final charts after edging the home team in the ‘grand finale’ to claim the only ticket at stake to progress to the second stage of the 2018 FIVB Women’s World Championship qualification process. However, the Faroese players could be happy with what they did on home soil – by recording two wins and one 3-1 loss to Cyprus, they did enough to move on to the Finals of the CEV Volleyball European Championship – Small Countries Division taking place next year in Luxembourg.
The three-day-long event came to a close with an official dinner hosted by the Faroese Volleyball Association at Hotel Føroyar in Tórshavn, where the best players of the tournament received a special souvenir – a small copy of the selkie bride, a statue that recalls one of the most popular fairy tales up there in the Faroe Islands.
Mr Magnus Tausen, President of the Faroese Volleyball Association, addressed officials and players from the bottom of his heart: “On this final day together during these Championships, with the courtesy of our host City Tórshavn, we can enjoy this closing ceremony. On behalf of the Faroese Volleyball Association I would like to express my gratitude to all of you and to the CEV for giving us here in the Faroe Islands such a great experience, with great excitement on the court, a hall full of spectators and you even brought the best weather with you. This is the only second time that we stage these Championships, and I must say that with guests like you, we are more than willing to do it again,” Tausen said.
“Tonight we are going to celebrate the best players in each category, and we have prepared something quite special for them. The trophy is made out of stone and on top of it there is a half-dressed woman. This is a copy of the seal-woman, based on the statue designed and crafted by artist Hans Pauli Olsen, which is standing on the outer part of the beach in Mikladali, in the northern part of the Faroe Islands,” Tausen continued.
The story of the seal-woman is not only a Faroese story. It is known all around the world, somewhere almost in the same version as in the Atlantic islands, elsewhere in a slightly different one. However, the core of the story is the same, a fairy tale about a man meeting a woman from a different world. The Faroese story goes, that one night a fisherman saw the seals coming to shore, where they undressed the sealskin before they started dancing on the beach. The fisherman would fall in love with the most beautiful seal-woman and take her sealskin, so she could not escape from him when the dance was over. “The rest of the story, you must read by yourself, and there are a few versions,” Tausen said.
“The municipalities in the Faroe Islands where Volleyball is popular and strong are the sponsors of these trophies and have made this part of our ceremony possible. To all of our sponsors, the municipalities, the staff in the hall and the volunteers, I would like to express my deepest gratitude. In addition, to you Inara. Thank you so much for your guidance and help. You have taught us a lot,” Tausen said referring to CEV Supervisor and ESOC member, Ms Inara Brokane of Latvia.
“However, more than anybody else, I must mention the City of Tórshavn, that has been the real host of these Championships and is offering us this closing ceremony. Just as they did the last time in 2008. Without you all, nothing of this would have been possible. In addition, my final words will be to the media. We have been able to live stream and live broadcast all the matches to the whole world. We have been on radio and on several portals on the web. The public awareness has never been any closer to this in the Faroe Islands, when it comes to Volleyball. Thank you so much to all members of the press for your excellent work,” Tausen added. “To all of our guests I wish a safe trip home tomorrow morning. Hope to see you all again in the future. Thank you.”
Individual Awards
Best Setter: Ioanna Leonidou (CYP)
Best Opposite: Birgit Guttesen (FAR)
Best Middle Blocker: Andri Iordanous (CYP)
Best Outside spiker: Sofía Purkhús (FAR)
Best Libero: Elena Mosfilioti (CYP)
Best Local Player: Sofía Purkhús (FAR)
Most Valuable Player: Ioanna Leonidou (CYP)
Click here for further information including detailed stats of the matches
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