Xiamen, China, April 13, 2016 - The double-gender $150,000 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Xiamen Open was hit by heavy rain Wednesday morning, but the remarkable efforts of local organizers and volunteers helped make sure the competitions go smoothly and teams from around the world enjoyed playing on the rainy Gold Beach.
“I am really appreciative to the dedication of all the volunteers and of course all the officials. We have done a great job in a pretty trying condition in making this event happen,” said FIVB technical supervisor Blair Harrison. “It's been a long time since it's rained this much. It's unusual in China at this time of the year, I have been doing this for a long time and probably it's the most trying in the events I have done.”
“It's about being prepared and we have done a really good job in preparing heavy rain. We have to get prepared to count that to make sure everything goes smoothly,” Harrison added. “Everything is on the court and all of the kids have done a fantastic job.”
Swiss player Nico Beeler also gave a thumb up to the local organizers. “I think the staff and the volunteers did a good job, everything is ready and there are enough people to help,” he said. “Most importantly, the court was at very high quality. We don't have to worry about anything. We just need to concentrate on our game.”
It was raining hard Wednesday morning when the women’s qualification tournament and men’s Main Draw were taking place, but the temperature was around 20 degree Celsius and the players felt comfortable. “It’s raining, but not cold,” Beeler said.
Carico Lane of the United States loves playing in the rain. “There was so much fun out there. I was enjoying it in the rain and finally we could win,” she said. “This is our fourth time in Xiamen, we know it's always very windy here, but it’s the first time to play in the rain.”
“But we love it and hopefully it can rain more and more. We would like to play in the rain,” Lane added. “I can't wait to play tomorrow. It's going to be so much fun.”
Germany’s Isabel Schneider felt like playing at home. “We called that the German weather brought to China yesterday. It's good for us, because we know this kind of weather,” Schneider added. “Yesterday it's windy and rainy. We are very common with this weather. We don't care.”