Mexican Beach Bums Battle for Olympic Berths

The 2024 Beach Volleyball World Tour, organized by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), stops in our country with two important tournaments: the Challenge Guadalajara, from April 11 to 14, and the Elite 16 Tepic, from April 17 to 21, both of which count towards the ranking for the 2024 Olympic Games.

As has been recurrent recently, Mexico reaffirms itself as one of the favorite destinations of the international organization to host the best volleyball players in the world, who are in the final stretch of their process to the summer competition.

“We welcome these events that the FIVB is pleased to assign to Mexico, giving it confidence again based on good organization,” said Jesus Perales Navarro, president of the Mexican Volleyball Federation (FMVB).

In the competition to be held in Jalisco, three Mexican pairs will compete in each branch: the stars Abril Flores and Atenas Gutierrez, as well as Miguel Sarabia and Gabriel Cruz (due to the injury of Olympian Juan Virgen), both teams in the main court. While Ricardo Galido/Oziel Aguirre, Antonio Vargas/Carlos Ayala, Katherine Albarrán/Yeray Vidaurrazaga and Susana Torres/Ivanna Rivera will start from the qualifying phase.

“The objectives are very clear, and we have to continue giving participation to the national teams so that they can continue in high level tournaments, before the Olympic Qualifiers (in June). Mexican volleyball has been strengthened before international organizations,” said Perales Navarro.

The Challenge Guadalajara will be held at the Pan American Tennis Complex of the Metropolitan Sports Center and will feature 24 duos in each division. Six courts will be used, with the Pan American Stadium as the main court, in addition to three competition courts in the mini-stadiums of the complex. There will be warm-up courts, and attendees will be able to get a closer look at the competing couples.

The qualifying stage will be held on Thursday, April 11 and Friday, April 12, from which the pairs that will complete the main draw in each category will be selected, followed by the elimination games on Saturday, April 13, and the finals on Sunday, April 14.

“We have made great synergy with Ary Graca, president of the FIVB, who has assigned us technical bodies in both modalities of volleyball, with the purpose of creating a medium and long term program for the development of this sport in Mexico,” concluded the FMVB leader.