2006 SWATCH-FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships Under 19 to be held in Bermuda 

LAUSANNE, 26 January 2006 – The fifth SWATCH-FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships for players under the age of 19 will be held in Bermuda in September this year as the junior event comes to the sub-tropical island for the first time ever.  

The 2006 SWATCH-FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships Under 19 will be held on the pink-tinged sands of one of Bermuda’s most beautiful – and most popular – beaches at Horseshoe Bay from 5 to 10 September 2006. A main draw will determine the 24 teams that will be spread across six pools to battle it out for the junior world championship title in a pool-play competition format. 

FIVB President Rubén Acosta welcomed the news that the Federation’s international junior event for Beach Volleyball’s budding stars will be held on this attractive island in the Middle of the Atlantic Ocean.  “This is both the first time that an international junior event will be held in a British Overseas Territory and an excellent opportunity for the associated Caribbean region, where our sport also enjoys huge popularity”. 

Angelo Squeo, Beach Volleyball Director at the FIVB, was especially pleased to have secured the venue for the 2006 Under 19 World Championships so early. “We now have a definitive schedule for the entire 2006 season, including all World Tour events (Grand Slams and Opens) and both junior World Championships (the SWATCH-FIVB Beach Volleyball Championships Under 21 will be held in Poland from 23 to 27 August). Furthermore, this event in Bermuda is a first step in developing intercontinental Beach Volleyball events in and near to the Caribbean – a region that is perfect for staging Beach Volleyball events thanks to its excellent climate, wonderful resorts and world-renowned beaches.” 

The 2006 SWATCH-FIVB World Championships Under 19 will be organised by the Bermuda Volleyball Association (BVA) with assistance from The Bermuda Department of Tourism at a venue that has an abundance of pink sand and a unique claim of being the only beach where the sun both rises from and sets into the sea, offering a perfect environment for both athletes and spectators alike.