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World-class Beach Volleyball in the middle of winter!
Berlin/Zurich, 25 January 2006: In Berlin the temperature outside was an arctic -20°C, but the comments made by the participants at the media conference for the Beach Nations Cup® Final 2006 Berlin presented by NESTEA from 3-5 February 2006 made everyone feel all warm inside: “The Beach Nations Cup® Final presented by NESTEA is a new exciting product and as pioneers we can contribute to the development of it”, Peter Hatzfeld, European representative of the Event Presenting Partner NESTEA said. Peter Hatzfeld added: “Following our engagement last year as long term Tour Title Partner of the NESTEA European Championship Tour, we are expanding our Beach Volleyball sponsorship with the Beach Nations Cup® Final presented by NESTEA. We are linking Beach Volleyball and ice-tea with the winter and thereby demonstrating that one can enjoy summer refreshments in the cold seasons as well.”
But it is not all about fun at the star-studded tournament in the Sportforum Hohenschönhausen in Berlin: A total of 46’000 Euros will be up for grabs for the players of the four nations from Germany, Norway, Switzerland and Spain as well as the women’s teams from Germany and the Netherlands. And the tournament has its own unique appeal: “It is a great initiative and a welcomed change from our daily training routine. It is nice entering a tournament as Germany and not only as a single team”, Beach Volleyball professional Christoph Dieckmann said. The two-time World-Tour winner will be playing his very first match with his new partner, World Championship bronze medallist Julius Brink. And Brink immediately sent a challenge to the foreign teams: “Germany is the best European Beach Volleyball nation so it would be awkward to say we only want to finish third.”
This was well received by the President of the German Volleyball Federation Werner von Moltke who added that “the fans and the event would even more profit if the German athletes do well.” But it will not be easy, because the Beach Nations Cup® Final 2006 Berlin presented by NESTEA “is cast with exceptional players worthy of a Grand Slam tournament”, tournament Director Siegbert Brutschin, stressed. But the duos are not allowed in the arena yet. The first cut of the spade is set for 25 January and the sand will be delivered a week later, Brutschin said.
Christian Scholbrock, Managing Director of the marketing agency Global Sports Marketing (GSM), is convinced the format especially makes up the exclusivity of the event: “We believe to have found a market gap with the ‘Beach Nations Cup® concept’ in the winter and we want to continue developing the format in the direction of the ‘Davis Cup’”. Because the nation’s duel – unique in Beach Volleyball – is played in two singles (‘two on two’) and one double (‘four on four’). While Germany will face off against Norway and Switzerland will go head-to-head with Spain to reach the final on the men’s side, the German women will directly play their final against their neighbours from the Netherlands.
With such a star cast, many athletes and organisers enjoy reminiscing about June 2005, when the entire city of Berlin was in Beach Volleyball fever and celebrated the World Championships. For that reason the new president of the Berlin Volleyball Federation René Hecht called on Berlin’s Beach Volleyball fans to support the sand artists in the arena as well: “Of course it is hard to top the World Championship but the Beach Nations Cup® has a very special appeal to everybody involved.”
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