Beach volley pro tour, the players attack the Fivb. The world rounds

The beach volleyball World Cup in Rome is approaching (from 10 to 19 June at the Foro Italico), but the tug-of-war – silent, but not too much – between most of the players (starting with the strongest) and the Fivb which, with the arrival of Volleyball World, has radically changed the architecture of tournaments. Until last year, in fact, the structure studied by Angelo Squeo was in force which provided for five levels of tournaments (identified from one to five stars) with increasing prize pools and points for the ranking. From this year the categories have been reduced to three (Elite 16, Challenge and Future) but, above all, the access procedures have changed and the prize money has been reduced.

Fewer couples and less money

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At first, for example, it was decided to lock the Elite 16 tournament to the top 16 pairs of the ranking, without qualifications. Just close to the debut of Rosarito, in Mexico, Fivb and Volleyball World have succumbed to the pressing request of the athletes and have opened the qualifications to 16 couples, thus expanding the audience of access to the tournament. However, the prize money problem remains far from resolved. The Elite 16 tournaments, for example, provide athletes with a prize pool of 150 thousand dollars, exactly the same as last year’s 4-star tournaments (for 5 stars it was 300 thousand dollars). With the smaller number of participating pairs, however, the prizes are a little higher than the 4 stars, but still lower than the 5 stars. The three couples on the podium in an Elite 16, in fact, receive 30 thousand, 20 thousand and 14 thousand dollars, while until last year, in the top level tournaments, they received 40 thousand, 32 thousand and 20 thousand dollars. In Challenge tournaments (which in terms of points awarded are compared to 4 stars), the prize pool is the same as last year’s 3-star tournaments ($ 75,000), while Futures, on an economic level, are even compared to 1-star tournaments. (with a prize pool of just 5 thousand euros) but with the same points that were awarded by a 2-star.

The Spanish protest

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On these reasons is based the social protest of the athletes who, in these days, took the voice of the Spaniards Pablo Herrera (silver medalist at the 2004 Athens Olympics with Javier Bosma) and Adrian Gavira, fourth in the last Elite 16 of Ostrava, in the Czech Republic. The couple had their photograph taken in front of the claim of the circuit “Like a Pro” and, on Instagram, wrote: “The slogan seen in the promotion of the tournaments sells this circuit as more professional than before, but the only truth is that it is exactly the same but with fewer couples, which means less chance for athletes to make a living from sport. ” The main reason with which Volleyball World has motivated the choice to adopt this new formula of tournaments is to confront the best and make the matches more close. Argument that Herrera-Gavira refute: “But wasn’t the level already high enough to see most of the au pairs, with some surprises every now and then? Better not talk about the difference in prize money if we compare our sport with 6-8 years ago “.

The support of the athletes

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“We hope – continue the Spaniards in the post – that all this will change with the start of the Olympic qualification (from 1 January 2023 to 30 June 2024, ed.) And that we can all have equal opportunities. Because beach volleyball does not live only thanks to the best couples of the moment or to those who have greater media coverage, and not even for those few who ‘share the cake’ alone. Let us feel less ‘like a pro’, but with better conditions for all beach volleyball players “. A protest supported by many athletes, by our Paolo Nicolai (who had already criticized the formula in the past and who shared the post among his stories), Daniele Lupo, Alex Ranghieri, Margherita Bianchin, a good part of the top international players. Among the comments, even the ironic one by the Swiss Marco Krattinger: “It would be wonderful to read the slogan: ‘Paid as a Pro'”.

World draw

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Meanwhile, here is the draw for the groups for the World Cup which begins on 10 June in Rome. These the meni: Pool A: Rossi / Carambula, Bruno Schimdt / Saymon (BRA), Capogrosso / Capogrosso (ARG), Jawo / Jarra (GAM) Pool B: Bryl / Losiak (POL), Lupo / Ranghieri, Schachter / Dearing (CAN) , Akan / Essilfie (GHA) Pool H: Mol / Sorum (NOR), Aravena / Droguet (CHL), Luini / Penninga (NED), Benzi / Bonifazi Pool I: Grimalt / Grimalt (CHL), Seidl / Waller (AUT) , Kantor / Rudol (POL), Windisch / Dal Corso Pool K: Ahman / Hellvig (SWE), Nicolai / Cottafava, Murray / Rivas (COL), Surin / Banlue (THA). The feminine: Pool E: Flint / Cheng (USA), Bukovec / Brandie (CAN), Bobner / Verge / Depre, Cali / Tega Pool F: Kolinske / Hughes (USA), Carro / Lobato (ESP), Ariana / Karelys (ECU), Menegatti / Gottardi Pool I: Taiana Lima / Hegeile (BRA), Muller / Tillman (GER), Worapeerach Ayakorn / Naraphornrapat (THA), Orsi Toth / Orsi Toth Pool L: Scampoli / Bianchin, Borger / Sude (GER), Wojtasik / Kociolek (POL), Makokha / Khadambi (KEN)