There is drama, fun, excitement and action on the beach as the first-ever International Beach Volleyball Tournament held in India unfolds.
Ramakrishna Beach is now equipped with floodlights, white sand filling (on the court), a seating capacity of 5,000 , and shower facility for players besides other supporting infrastructure. The tournament is promoted by Leisure Sports Management in collaboration with International Volleyball Federation, Volleyball Federation of India and AP and Vizag Volleyball Association. Fifty-six teams from different countries are vying for the title as they will battle wind, sun, rain and each other.
The teams, many of which are visiting India for the first time, are excited about this new beach volleyball destination. “The venue is fantastic and we are looking forward to a great tournament,” says Martina Bonnerova from Czech Republic. Martina who was eight years old when she started playing, says the popularity of the sport in her country is on a different level. “In Prague alone, there are more than 10 beach clubs. It is common to see people head to the beach to enjoy a game after work,” she says. How is the Indian venue different? “I came from a zero-degree Celsius climate to a 30-plus degree temperature. That has been a bit of a challenge for us.” For Grant Goldsmith from South Africa, the winds will play a crucial role here. “Serving into the wind will be the key. It is quite windy here,” says the volleyball player.
- 56 teams — 28 men and 28 women are participating in the event.
- Participating countries include Russia, Poland, South Africa, Austria, Czech Republic, USA and Japan.
- From India, five men and five women teams are participating.
- With this tournament, India becomes the 50th country to host an FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour.
President of AP Volleyball Association PGVR Naidu (Ganababu) hopes the event will catapult Visakhapatnam into an international beach sports destination, and generate a buzz around the sport in India. “We have also proposed a beach sports complex under the Smart City Project. The idea is to create an infrastructure to promote beach volleyball and yachting and attract international players to the region,” he says. To make the sand on the court on par with the international standards, Naidu says white sand filling has been done. “The surface is composed of levelled sand, free of rocks, shells and anything else which can represent risks of cuts or injuries to the players,” he adds.
Visakhapatnam , Andhra Pradesh : 27/02/2019: Players from Israel and Czech Republic playing a friendly match, during the practice session on the eve of the international beach volleyball in
While the sport is still nascent here, A Ramana Rao, chairman of coaching committee, Volleyball Federation of India, says the Indian beach volleyball team is one of Asia’s best. “However, internationally we are far behind compared to the European countries,” says the former volleyball player and an Arjuna and Dronacharya awardee. Over the last decade, the Volleyball Federation of India has hosted Beach Volleyball National Championships. Even landlocked States like Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh have their teams who practice on artificially-made sand courts.
- The visitors will also carry back memories of Andhra food. “We tasted the mutton curry and tofu with cashew nut and roti. It was delicious! We surely want to take home some tips to recreate the Indian dishes,” says Martina, a player from the Czech Republic
“Goa, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh are the most sought after teams ,” says Ramana who thinks such events will provide great exposure to Indian players. “When Indian players compete with international players, their game improves and adds to their profile. The overwhelming support from the home crowd motivates them to play better,” he says.
The tournament is being organised at the cost of Rs ₹1.75 crore. “We were initially supposed to host the tournament in 2013, but due to the State bifurcation and political unrest, it had to be shelved. Cyclone Hudhud played spoilsport the following year. We are happy to finally pull the event together. To popularise the sport in India, there needs to be a big beginning,” says SS Dasgupta, managing director of Leisure Sports Management.
Vizagites are excited to see all the action on the beach. “It is good to see the government boosting sports apart from cricket and football. These events might get people interested in beach volleyball. It is necessary to promote sports in a country that is obsessed with academic excellence,” says Vrishikesh, a graduate from Andhra University. He confesses he himself was unaware that beach volleyball was an Olympic sport till he googled it! Vinay Reddy, a 32-year-old businessman hopes such events will auger well for tourism for the city. “They will put Visakhapatnam on the world map and promote it as a tourism hub,” he says.
