The Beach Pro Tour Futures category beach volleyball tournament will be held in Sveti Vlas for the third consecutive year, gathering a total of 85 men's and women's pairs from 28 countries across three continents this year. The competition will also feature an increased prize fund, announced Iva Partaleva, representative of the organizers from "Marina Dinevi Group," and Lyubomir Ganev, president of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation, at a press conference in the BTA Press Club.
The competition will take place between June 3 and 7, with the semi-finals and finals broadcast live on BNT 3.
"I am very happy that 'Dinevi Group' is organizing the tournament in Sveti Vlas for the third consecutive year. This is a huge prestige for Bulgaria. The entire environment is at a very high level – sand quality, sea view, hotel accommodation. You know that for the first time we provided targeted funding solely for beach volleyball. The goal is to create athletes who know that they can earn a living from beach volleyball. This tournament is an excellent opportunity for them to improve their ranking, which will allow them to have a better draw in subsequent tournaments," stated Lyubomir Ganev.
On behalf of the organizers, Iva Partaleva emphasized the growing interest in the tournament and the record Bulgarian participation.
"Two years ago, when we launched the tournament, we expressed a desire to inspire more and more children and young people towards beach volleyball. This year there will be a record Bulgarian participation – out of a total of 45 men's pairs and 39 women's pairs, we have eight Bulgarian men's and five Bulgarian women's pairs. There will be 170 athletes. Last year there were participants from Mauritius, this year there will be pairs from Argentina and Morocco," said Partaleva. She further revealed that the organizers have received international recognition for the tournament's conditions.
"The sand for the tournament was sent to an independent laboratory in Canada; they confirmed its quality. We have the assessment of a prestigious external source. Last year, the best Bulgarian pair – Dimitar Kalchev and Dimitar Mehandzhiyski – finished in third place, and we expect a similar performance now. After their participation in the Nations League, they are 94th in the world ranking, and we expect this to change after Sveti Vlas," she added.
The organizers also announced an increase in the prize fund – from 10,000 to 15,000 euros, with 7,500 euros distributed to the men's and women's categories respectively.
"The gold is in the sand. Recently, we also agreed that coaches should travel with the athletes to tournaments. Until now, the development of beach volleyball was left in the hands of the athletes, which is not their job. Things have started to normalize," added the president of the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation.
The press conference was also attended by young national team members Aleksandar Tsenov and Boris Georgiev, who will participate as a pair in the tournament.
"At 16, I participated in the Sveti Vlas tournament for the first time, and I've had great impressions ever since. I finished fourth with my then-partner, and I hope we repeat the achievement. It's a unique tournament and resort," stated Tsenov. "This is a real celebration for Bulgarian volleyball, it's a huge forum, and the organization is top-notch," added Boris Georgiev.
The highest-ranked men's pairs will be two from Hungary, while the top seeds in the women's draw are Nadine Dehmel and Livia Stolz from Switzerland.
Matches will be held on two courts, and two more training courts are being built to ensure optimal conditions for all participants in the prestigious international competition.
photos: Nikolay Varadinov
