03/02/2020 14:00
St. Anton, Austria to host #EuroSnowVolley 2020
CEV EuroSnowVolley 2020
Luxembourg/St. Anton am Arlberg, Austria, February 3, 2020. After the successful premiere held two years ago in Wagrain-Kleinarl and Flachau, the second edition of CEV EuroSnowVolley will be taking place in the Austrian Alps as well, and more specifically in St. Anton am Arlberg, from April 9-12, 2020. The Austrian ski resort hosted the last stop of the Snow Volleyball European Tour in April of 2019 and is a very popular destination not only for holidaymakers, but also for elite athletes, boasting a long list of international alpine skiing events organised in the Tyrolean Alps.
The competition will feature 24 teams per gender qualified through their respective national championships and the CEV Entry Ranking. It will be the first time that teams consisting of three up to four players will fight for the coveted #EuroSnowVolley crown after the major changes to the rules of the game introduced before the start of the 2019 season.
St. Anton am Arlberg, one of Austria’s most popular ski resorts, where the 2001 edition of the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships took place, will provide the ideal stage and a truly iconic background for the second edition of the continental Snow Volleyball showpiece event. This young, fresh, energetic and dynamic sport has been growing steadily since the introduction of the European Tour in 2016 and the delivery of the first, historic #EuroSnowVolley held in 2018.
It is very fitting that Austria will be playing host to the championship, since the Alpine country is undoubtedly the ‘birthplace’ of Snow Volleyball. This is where the first amateur competitions took place in the late 90s, before the sport resurfaced about a decade later. The CEV have organised Snow Volleyball competitions since the winter of 2016 in close cooperation with a number of National Federations and local promoters.
Back in 2018, teams from Russia and Lithuania claimed the men’s and women’s crown, respectively. Russia have been the major force on the European Tour ever since but a number of countries have been working hard to grow Snow Volleyball as well and their teams will try to pose a threat to the Russian supremacy in St. Anton.
“I am very happy that with the help of our Austrian partners, and especially of the President of our Snow Volleyball Working Group, Mr Peter Kleinmann, we have been able to reach an agreement with such an iconic and popular ski resort to hold the second edition of #EuroSnowVolley,” said CEV President Aleksandar Boričić. “I look forward to witnessing an event that will emphasise the cool, fresh image of Snow Volleyball, so that we can inspire more and more people to play the game.”
“The CEV Snow Volleyball European Championship is a great event in combination with sun skiing. When the days get longer and the hours of sunshine increase, there are still perfectly groomed slopes in St. Anton am Arlberg. For many winter sports fans the sun skiing in March and April is a special highlight. In addition to the fun on the slopes, they also enjoy sunbathing in a deckchair, for example on the terrace of Rendl Beach. They will be able to let themselves be carried away by the atmosphere and the sporting achievements at the CEV EuroSnowVolley,” says Martin Ebster, Tourism Director St. Anton am Arlberg.
“As a ‘pioneer country’ for the development of Snow Volleyball internationally, Austria is proud to stage this year’s European Championships in St. Anton am Arlberg, host of the 2001 Alpine Ski World Championships,” said the President of the Austrian Volleyball Federation, Gernot Leitner. “The new, three-a-side format, introduced last year, proved the right decision to make Volleyball in the snow even more spectacular.”
Info St. Anton am Arlberg
St. Anton am Arlberg, known as the ‘Cradle of Alpine Skiing’, is one of the world’s most renowned winter sports resorts. Snow hungry skiers and freeride fans from over 50 nations visit this mountain village and ski area every year. With 305 kilometres of marked runs, 200 kilometres of freeride terrain and 88 lift and cable car systems, it is Austria’s biggest interconnected ski area. St. Anton am Arlberg is a modern holiday resort that has retained its traditional appeal. Hospitality and Tyrolean customs are as much a trademark of the village as its international, cosmopolitan character.
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