Groups For CEV EuroBeachVolley Drawn
64 teams, 19 nations, 16 groups - exactly 50 days before the start of the European Championships Munich 2022, the draw for the European Beach Volleyball Championships took place in the Bavarian capital. A total of nine German teams will be competing in the title matches at Königsplatz.
© Marc Müller/Munich 2022
From 15-21 August, the CEV EuroBeachVolley will visit Munich for the first time. A spectacular premiere that is already enjoying great popularity. This is shown by the rush for beach volleyball tickets. The final weekend is already sold out and tickets for the other days are only available to a limited extent. After the official group draw, the anticipation of fans and teams must have increased even more, because the draw pots were filled to the brim with the crème de la crème of European beach volleyball duos.
In the women's draw, the defending champions Nina Brunner/Tanja Hüberli (SUI) are joined by the winners from 2020 and 2019, Joana Heidrich/Anouk Vergé-Dépré (SUI) and Tina Graudina/Anastasija Kravcenoka (LAT). The Germans make up five of the 32 teams and thus the largest contingent. Among others, Svenja Müller/Cinja Tillmann, who recently won bronze at the World Championships in Rome, and Karla Borger/Julia Sude, who attended the draw on Wednesday evening and were themselves involved as draw fairies, will be in the hunt for medals.
© Marc Müller/Munich 2022
THE FUTURE OF SPORT
Borger is not only looking forward to playing on home soil, but also to a special event experience - beach volleyball is part of the multi-sport event European Championships for the first time. "Our season didn’t go as well as we expected. I had some issues with my health at the beginning of the season with Covid and other things. Unluckily, Julia got Covid before the Word Championships, so we were out of practice for some weeks. We are back in shape and really looking forward to this tournament," said the 33-year-old. "I believe the European Championships is the future of sports. Especially after the last two years, we are looking forward to spectators, having fun and enjoying what we love to do."
In the men's competition, there is currently no way around the Beachvolley Vikings. The Norwegian duo Anders Mol/Christian Sørum hold all the titles there are to be had. They were recently crowned world champions in Rome, they won Olympic gold in Tokyo and at the CEV EuroBeachVolley they have won the last four titles. No other team has achieved this feat before - in Munich they are aiming for title number five. However, there is no lack of competition. Among the 32 teams, there are also four German teams who want to turn the home advantage into victories.
© Marc Müller/Munich 2022
HIGHLY MOTIVATED
As an athlete of the Class of 22, Clemens Wickler is very familiar with Munich 2022 and can hardly wait for the event: "At all the events I have been to so far that have to do with the European Championships, I have had inner anticipation every time. Almost a feeling of happiness that a European Beach Volleyball Championship will soon take place here in Munich. That's something very nice for me personally, to have such a big event so close to home. The anticipation is gigantic."
"We are on a very good way to play very successful beach volleyball. At the World Championships last week, we got a proper damper - we just performed badly, played badly - and then it can be over quickly," Wickler said. "But that's the way it is in sport and we try everything to get as far as possible and I think we can do it. Of course, it can also go the other way, then you have to live with it, but the home advantage is there. It's definitely not down to motivation and external factors."
THE ENTIRE DRAW TO RE-WATCH