Source: CEV. The idyllic seaside resort of Koper, Slovenia, will be host to the 2021 edition of #EuroBeachVolleyU18. An age group Beach Volleyball competition of this calibre will return to Koper after this coastal city played host to the U20 European Championship in 2004. The decision by the CEV Board of Administration acknowledges the outstanding work delivered by the Volleyball Federation of Slovenia when hosting international events in recent times – with the pinnacle obviously represented by the truly historic EuroVolley 2019 Men held in Ljubljana last year.
The capital city of Slovenia, Ljubljana, has been playing host to a highly successful international Beach Volleyball tournament for a number of years already – and the Volleyball Federation of Slovenia thought it was about time to take it a step further by hosting Europe’s Beach Volleyball stars in the making in Koper.
Such tournaments have always represented the ideal stage for young players to show their talent and embark on an international career. Back in 2004, when Koper hosted the U20 championship, Martins Plavins and Aleksandrs Samoilovs of Latvia claimed the gold medal – the first major accolade in a supreme career in the sport that has taken these two players to making the podium, even though with different partners, at the Olympics and ‘senior’ European Championships.
The women’s competition in 2004 did also nurture some very promising talents, such as Germany’s Ilka Semmler, who won gold with Ruth Flemig, and the Austrian Schwaiger sisters, Doris and Stefanie, who had to settle for the silver medal. Therefore, you can be sure that at least some of the players due to compete in Koper in 2021 will be making a name for themselves in the years to come!
Rok Mozic and Rok Bracko claimed a silver medal for Slovenia at the 2019 edition of #EuroBeachVolleyU18 held in Baden, Austria
The event in Koper will be the third continental age group championship held in Slovenia – after Koper’s premiere in 2004, the city of Ankaran played host to the U20 event two years later.
Europe’s Beach Volleyball family can now look forward to an exciting summer in 2021, when Koper joins the likes of Antalya (TUR) and Baden (AUT), which are due to host the U20 and U22 events, respectively.
This year’s U18, U20 and U22 continental championships are currently scheduled for later this summer and they will be going ahead as long as it is safe for everyone to do so, depending on the evolution of the coronavirus pandemic across Europe and the measures in place to curb the spread of the disease.
Source:
CEV – European Volleyball
OZS – Volleyball Federation of Slovenia
