Sydney, Australia, October 1, 2018 - For the third-straight season, the Northern Beaches of Sydney will host an FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour event as Manly Beach will be the site for the 2019 event where an elite field of men's and women's teams will compete March 6-10 for $300,000 in prize money.
The previous two trips to Manly featured a combined $100,000 in prize money where teams from host Australia and Canada topped the podiums. Prior to the Manly events in 2017 and 2018, the last elite event in Sydney was the 2000 Olympics on Bondi Beach where American and Australian pairs upset favoured teams from Brazil in the men's and women's finales, respectively, to win the Summer Games' gold medals.
Sydney 2000 Olympic Stadium at Bondi Beach
The 2019 Sydney Open will mark the ninth men's and 10th women's FIVB World Tour events in Australia. The United States has captured six of the previous 19 gold medals awarded in Australia highlighted by an Olympic championship victory by Dain Blanton/Eric Fonoimoana at the Sydney 2000 Games.
Dain Blanton (centre) hits against Brazilian Ricardo Santos (right) in the Sydney 2000 gold medal match as American partner Eric Fonoimoana follows the action.
Brazilian pairs have won five FIVB gold medals at Australian events highlighted by a 2001 Goodwill Games sweep in Brisbane by Jose Loiola/Ricardo Santos in the men's competition and Tatiana Minello/Sandra Pires in the women's action.
Australian and Canadian pairs have claimed three titles each at down-under events. The Sydney 2000 Olympic gold medal success for Natalie Cook and Kerri Pottharst ranks as Australian's greatest moment in volleyball or beach volleyball history as Aussie pair upset heavily-favoured Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar of Brazil in the field.
Here are the FIVB World Tour gold medal teams for events in Sydney.
Men's
1991 - Sinjin Smith/Randy Stoklos, United States
1992 - Sinjin Smith/Randy Stoklos, United States
2000 - Dain Blanton/Eric Fonoimoana, United States (Olympics)
2018 (November 2017) - Grant O'Gorman/Ben Saxton, Canada
Men's podium in November 2017
Women's
2000 - Natalie Cook/Kerri Pottharst, Australia (Olympics)
2017 (March 2017) - Julie Gordon/Camille Saxton, Canada
2018 (November 2017) - Mariafe Artacho/Taliqua Clancy, Australia
Women's podium in November 2017
NOTE - The November 2017 events were stops on the 2017-2018 FIVB World Tour calendar.
Here are the gold medal winners at other Australian FIVB World Tour events.
Men's
2001, Brisbane - Jose Loiola/Ricardo Santos, Brazil (Goodwill Games)
2008, Adelaide - Harley Marques/Pedro Solberg, Brazil
2017, Shepparton - Christopher McHugh/Damien Schumann, Australia
2018, Shepparton - Avery Drost/Chase Frishman, United States
Women's
1995, Brisbane - Holly McPeak/Nancy Reno, United States
1997, Melbourne - Sandra Pires/Jackie Silva, Brazil
2001, Brisbane - Tatiana Minello/Sandra Pires, Brazil (Goodwill Games)
2008, Adelaide - Juliana Felisberta/Larissa Franca, Brazil
2017, Shepparton - Julie Gordon/Camille Saxton, Canada
2018, Shepparton - Amanda Dowdy/Irene Pollack, United States