Luxembourg, December 18, 2018. The 2018-2019 Snow Volleyball Rules of the Game are out, thus marking a new milestone for the sport, confirming the revolutionary 3 vs. 3 format. The rules will come into force later this week in Moscow when the Russian capital hosts the opening stop of the CEV Snow Volleyball European Tour 2019 and the world’s elite players test their abilities on snow with three standing on each side of the net.
Click here to download the Rules of the Game.
The CEV and FIVB worked closely together to define the new set of rules, which include three-player teams (plus a fourth player who will be the substitute player per team) and each match played to a standard best of three sets, 15 points and a two-point lead. The dimensions of the court remain the same, as they still stand at 16x8 metres with a free zone of at least two metres.
Since the very first CEV European Tour held in 2016, Snow Volleyball has grown at a terrific pace, with highlights including the Snow Volleyball Night – exhibition match held at Austria House during the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics and the inaugural Snow Volleyball European Championship visited by more than 10,000 people across three days last March in Wagrain, Austria.
The side courts of the Vodny stadium surrounded by the typical Moscow panorama.
Snow Volleyball accounts for a truly unique opportunity to promote the sport 365 days a year and to take it to some of the most iconic and picturesque alpine resorts, while city events, such as the Moscow one, are another great asset as well. This past weekend, the Italian Volleyball Federation recognised this discipline as well to provide a further boost to its development and growth, not only in their own country, but internationally too.
The CEV Snow Volleyball European Tour 2019 includes seven stops in five countries (Austria, Georgia, Italy, Russia and Turkey) after a record number 17 National Federations hosted a Snow Volleyball National Championship last year.
To expand the geography of the sport, the FIVB plans to hold several test events in the early months of 2019 with a Snow Volleyball Tour to follow on four or five continents from 2019/2020 onwards. Plans also include a showcase event at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne and a Snow Volleyball World Championships in 2021.