JEDDAH, 12 March 2004 — Sixteen teams will compete in the Beach Volleyball Championship being held at Alexandria Seacoast in Obhur, Jeddah, from March 17-19. The championship, organized by Red Bull with the Youth Welfare Center, will take place from 5.30 pm daily, and is free and open for all.
Eight matches will take place on the first day of the championship. Teams qualified for the semi and quarterly matches will compete at noon on March 18. The final is set at 5.30 p.m. on March 19, in which four finalists will play. Participating teams will receive cups and medals.
Riyadh hosted the 1st Beach Volleyball Championship last year that had enthusiastic participation.
The 1st Global Beach Volleyball Championship was organized in 1987 and was officially listed for the first time in the Olympics Games in 1996. What helps the increased demand for the seacoast volleyball game is the decline of traditional volleyball game in the mid eighties before making major modifications that brought back vitality and competition to this popular game, a Red Bull spokesman said.
Beach volleyball started to compete with the traditional volleyball by reducing the number of players and adopting quick rounds in a soft sandy land. Today, it is one of the most popular games worldwide.
