Sri Lanka will play hosts at the inaugural Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Beach Volleyball Continental Cup which is scheduled for January 21 and 22 at the Negombo Beach.
The competition, one of the five conducted in each continent, will feature the men and women beach volleyball teams from India, Maldives, Kazakhstan, Iran and hosts Sri Lanka who will vie for the single spot at the forthcoming London Olympics from the Central Asian region.
The organisers hope to attract a massive crowd for the event on both days where the competition is also expected to be at a higher level.
The opening ceremony of the two-day competition will take place on January 20 from 5.00 p.m. as Negombo is expected to be lit up during the event.
A total of 24 teams will qualify for the London 2012 Olympics in beach volleyball according to C. Ratnamudali, the Technical Director of SLVF.
The two men’s and women’s beach volleyball teams from Sri Lanka qualified for the finals of the inaugural South Asian Beach Games held in Hambantota last year, making it an all home team affair assuring gold and silver medals.
But the Sri Lanka spikers suffered major setbacks when they toured China for an international competition with the unusually cold weather hampering their progress.
Sri Lanka is expected to spend an estimated Rupees 5 million for the two-day gala event which will also feature entertainment and other activities to promote the event in the area.
The official logo of the event was also launched at the press conference.
