Ljubljana, Slovenia, July 31, 2019 - Ljubljana will host an FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour 1-Star event for the third time from August 1-4. After a successful inaugural tournament in August last year and a winter edition of the event in November, teams from around the world have returned to the Slovenian capital to play for gold.
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Slovenian sports fans will get a chance to see some high-level beach volleyball when action gets underway on Thursday. "This is the third time we will be hosting the FIVB World Tour event in Ljubljana," said Volleyball Federation of Slovenia representative Ana Oblak. "We are very excited that our tournament is very popular among the teams and that we will be welcoming pairs from all continents. Besides teams from the European countries, we will be able to see players from Japan, New Zealand, USA, South Africa, Brazil, and even Colombia. I am confident we will witness another great beach volleyball spectacle."
A night match during the August 2018 edition of the tournament in Ljubljana's city centre
The event in Ljubljana is known for its beautiful stadium at Congress square, but also for its night matches and packed tribunes. This year eight home teams will try to find their way to glory.
Slovenia's best beach volleyball players Tjasa Jancar and Tjasa Kotnik recently celebrated their third consecutive national championship title and are keen to play in front of a home crowd. "Some really strong teams have entered the competition and we are expecting some difficult matches. Our goal is to win a medal, but we are aware that we will have to give our best. We are highly motivated to play in front of our home crowd again and we are hoping for the best," Tjasa Kotnik said during the press conference.
Slovenia's beach volleyball superstar Nejc Zemljak and his partner Jan Pokersnik will try to win their first gold medal at the Ljubljana event. "We always played in semifinals and finals in Ljubljana, but so far we haven't managed to claim the gold. We are hoping to do it this year, although the teams are so equal that you never know what will happen. Minor differences determine the winners. We are of course hoping to get the gold," Zemljak explained to the journalists gathered at the City Hall.