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Copenhagen’s trademark is the Little Mermaid, which gives you an idea of what Denmark is also about – the sea, water and beaches. That makes Copenhagen a natural choice to host the next round of qualification for the 2012 London Olympics’ Beach volleyball competition.
The Beach Volleyball Olympic qualification will take place at the city event area Ofelia Beach, right next to the Playhouse Theatre in the centre of Copenhagen – just across the water from the beautiful new Copenhagen Opera House.
The event will take place from 9-11 September 2011 with qualifiers for both men and women from the eleven participating nations all aiming to make the Olympic finals in London in 2012.
The City of Copenhagen has recently built a new, indoor hall with beach volleyball courts which will make it possible to train in the sand all year round. The Culture Mayor of Copenhagen, Pia Allerslev, says: “It is really great that we have been awarded the Olympic qualification in beach volleyball. Beach volleyball is a fast-growing sport – not just in sunnier climes, but also here in Copenhagen and Denmark.’
The city turns into a sports arena
The Olympic beach volleyball pre-qualification is considered a great opportunity to show Denmark as a professional event nation which can manage major international events. ‘We will make this a major beach volleyball event for all of Copenhageners and everyone else in Europe, who is interested in beach volleyball,’ promises Jens Albagaard, director of the Danish Volleyball Federation.
Copenhagen is specifically working to develop and use the city as an attractive arena for events. Another example of this will be seen when Copenhagen’s traffic will give way for the cycling Road Race World Championship, which will take place on the streets of the city over five days in September.
”With the Olympic beach volleyball qualification taking place in a spectacular location like the Copenhagen harbourfront, we will be using the city as a beautiful backdrop for an international event – and, naturally, our goal is to host the World Championships,” says Lars Vallentin, business development manager at Wonderful Copenhagen.
In this green city, bicycles will be made available for all beach volleyball players during the event. Meanwhile, boats will ferry competitors between the warm-up area and the main arena for Olympic qualification.
Facts
Olympic qualification will run from 9-11 September 2011. Matches will be played at the city event area Ofelia Beach. There will be warm-up courts in Refshalehallen, where there is an indoor beach.
Teams will compete from Holland, Austria, Italy, Portugal, Turkey, Romania, Greece, Slovenia, Estonia, Bulgaria and Denmark.
