The FIVB Shanghai Grand Slam is the first of ten double gender Grand Slam events on the 2014 FIVB Beach Volleyball international calendar. The FIVB returns to China for the 17th-straight year with Dalian hosting the first women’s event in China in 1998 and Lianyungang hosting the first men’s event in 2004.
Shanghai is hosting an FIVB Beach Volleyball event for the 11th-straight season. The event will be held at the Beach Volleyball Centre Court on City Beach in the Jinshan District.
China has hosted 42 previous FIVB World Tour/Open events including 18 men’s and 27 women’s tournaments. Host country China has won 17 previous medals on its country’s soil, including two men’s silver medals, six women’s gold medals, five women’s silver medals, and four women’s bronze medals.
In 2013, USA’s new duo of Jake Gibb/Casey Patterson won the gold medal in Shanghai while capturing the women’s gold medal was Brazil’s new team of Talita Antunes/Taiana Lima who ended the year No. 1 in the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Rankings.
Situated on China’s eastern coastline, Shanghai has four distinct seasons and a population of over 13 million. Its inhabitants, among the most hospitable and cheerful in the world, reflect the colour and diversity of the city.
In addition to hosting 10 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour events, Shanghai is noted for its many festivals including the Shanghai Tourism Festival, the Longhua Temple Bell Striking on New Year’s Eve, the Longhua Temple Fair, the International Tea Culture Festival and the Orange Festival.
Shanghai is one of eight Chinese cities that have hosted an international FIVB beach volleyball event. Others have been Beijing, Dalian, Fuzhou, Lianyungang, Maoming, Sanya and Xiamen.
In addition to the FIVB Shanghai Grand Slam, two other stops are scheduled in China in 2014 on the FIVB international schedule: the FIVB Fuzhou Open (April 22-27) and the FIVB Xiamen Open (October 7 to 12). All three will be double-gender events.
The 2014 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour will include 10 double-gender FIVB Grand Slam tournaments along with the inaugural FIVB Grand Slam and eleven FIVB Beach Volleyball Open events.
This year’s FIVB World Ranking system will include FIVB Beach Volleyball Grand Slam and Open events along with additional pre-approved events at the inter-continental, continental and national levels.
Implemented in 2013, the format of all the FIVB Beach Volleyball international tournaments – whether FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships, FIVB Beach Volleyball Grand Slam or FIVB Beach Volleyball Open – are the same, featuring pool play followed by single elimination knockout rounds.
The 2014-2016 FIVB Beach Volleyball Continental Cup also returns this year as it starts its portion of the qualification process for the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games.