The Hague, Netherlands, June 23, 2015 – Defending men’s world champions Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen have laid down their target of finishing on the podium for the upcoming FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships, Netherlands 2015.
The pair were unheralded before they won their first major title at the 2013 World Championships in Mazury, Poland. Their previous aim was to reach a FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour quarterfinal so that they would qualify for greater funding from the Dutch Volleyball Federation.
Since then though they have won one set of gold and three sets of silver on the World Tour. This year have won their first golds since Mazury at the Porec Major Series Event and also silver at Fuzhou and Lucerne.
“No team has won two consecutive World Championships,” Brouwer said. “It would be obvious to state that we want to win the World Championships again, but we have fixed goals; we want a podium finish.
“There has been a lot of attention for the event. With stadiums being built in the four host cities that has grown even further.”
The pair were speaking at the tournament’s launch press conference in which all nine Dutch teams – five men and four women – were in attendance and where Tournament Director Bas van der Goor revealed that over 70,000 tickets have been sold and only a few tickets remain for the opening match and the gold medals matches.
In the women’s tournament Madelein Meppelink and Marleen van Iersel are the host nation’s brightest hopes having won two silvers and one bronze in 2013.
They are also the first Dutch team in action when they take on Kazakhstan’s Tatyana Mashkova and Irina Tsimbalova in The Hague on Friday.
“We started the season really well and we have built a lot of confidence,” Meppelink said. “We know we can compete with the world’s best teams. We know we are stronger than all our opponents in the group. The tournament will start for real after the pool phase.”
Tickets can be purchased via www.netherlands2015.fivb.org/tickets - tickets still available can also be bought at the venues.