10/03/2017 09:18
The King has left the building... and come back!
2017 CEV Snow Volleyball European Tour
Disentis, Switzerland, March 10, 2017. During the week following the 2017 CEV Snow Volleyball European Tour stop in Špindlerův Mlýn some shocking news appeared in the Polish media. The ‘King of the Snow’ is putting an end to his career! And indeed, the renowned Polish player Michal Matyja had made this announcement on his Facebook page...
No worries! Michal will be playing at the Disentis stop of the European Tour this weekend. The King has left the building... and come back!
Michal Matyja had already positioned himself as one of the most prominent athletes in the dawn years of the new winter sport, when the Snow Volleyball Tour came under the CEV’s umbrella for the 2016 season. After making it among the top four teams in the final standings at all three stops of the 2016 Tour, he collected the most individual points for the season among all male players and as a result, he was proclaimed the first CEV ‘King of the Snow’.
He started the 2017 season with a bronze medal at the first official international Snow Volleyball competition outside Europe - in Dizin, Iran. He has made one appearance so far on the 2017 CEV European Tour - in Špindlerův Mlýn, Czech Republic – where he won a silver medal.
Michal is currently at #1 in the individual CEV Snow Volleyball Ranking. He and his 2017 partner Piotr Janiak had also registered to play at all Tour stops from Switzerland all the way through the finale in Kronplatz / Plan de Corones, Italy. That is why his retirement announcement came out as a bit of a shock to those following Snow Volleyball.
In his Facebook announcement, Michal first personally thanked each of his partners on the snow throughout his successful five-year run. “As you have probably guessed by now, you are reading my farewell to this discipline. However, it will remain in my mind and in my heart forever. I will always return to it in my memories,” continued Matyja and then explained that the reason for his decision was the disappointment that his team could not find any sponsorship for this season to help them fund their participation in Snow Volleyball events, in spite of all the achievements.
However, there is a happy end to this story. Very soon after the news about Matyja’s retirement and the reasons behind it exploded in the Polish media, a sponsor appeared.
“I am so glad I found a sponsor and we will be able to take part in the remaining tournaments,” Michal exclaimed. “I would like to thank Mr Radek Siuda and his real estate company for that! I am very excited to play in Switzerland this weekend, especially considering what beautiful views await us there!”
For the Disentis tournament, Matyja will team up with Maciej Klimas. “Piotr Janiak has to skip this event for family reasons, but I hope we will play together for the rest of the Tour,” Matyja explained. He and Klimas will be the top-seeded duo in the men’s competition on Swiss snow.
The fourth stop of the 2017 CEV Snow Volleyball European Tour for men and women in Disentis will take place on Saturday, March 11, and Sunday, March 12. On Friday, March 10, the two snow courts built for the tournament will host a Snow Volleyball Kids Day.
For further information on the European Tour click here or visit SnowVolleyball.com.
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