Teams supported by FIVB Volleyball Empowerment dominated the Brno Futures on the Beach Pro Tour, securing all women`s podium spots and a men`s bronze medal. Valerie Dvornikova and Michaela Brinkova of Czechia claimed gold, followed by France`s Elsa Descamps and Anouk Dupin with silver, and Estonia`s Heleene Hollas and Liisa Remmelg with bronze. On the men`s side, Switzerland`s Florian Breer and Luc Fluckiger earned bronze. The home crowd in Brno celebrated an all-Czech men`s final where Jakub Sepka and Jiri Sedlak triumphed over Adam Waber and Matyas Jezek.
FIVB Empowerment Program Fueling Success
These successes highlight the impact of FIVB Volleyball Empowerment. The Czech Volleyball Federation has benefited from USD 168,000 in coach support for their women`s beach volleyball teams, along with USD 24,000 for coach development, utilizing the expertise of Argentinean coach Sebastian Menegozzo. France`s beach volleyball program has received a substantial USD 1,077,000 in coach support, with their women`s teams guided by Paris 2024 Olympian Youssef Krou, plus USD 5,500 for equipment. Similarly, the Estonian Volleyball Federation has been allocated USD 168,000 in coach support for their national teams, under the supervision of Beijing 2008 Olympian Rivo Vesik, and an additional USD 11,500 for beach volleyball equipment.
Women`s Tournament Highlights
Czechia`s Valerie Dvornikova (22) and Michaela Brinkova (23) secured their maiden Beach Pro Tour gold in Brno. The 11th-seeded duo achieved an undefeated run of five consecutive wins. Their path to the final included a dramatic 2-1 (15-21, 21-19, 16-14) semifinal comeback against fellow Czechs Anna Pospisilova and Daniela Mokra. In the final, Dvornikova and Brinkova once again demonstrated their resilience, overcoming France’s Elsa Descamps and Anouk Dupin with another hard-fought 2-1 (27-29, 21-12, 15-12) victory.
Anouk Dupin (22) maintained her impressive streak of podium finishes at every Beach Pro Tour event this year. Her 2025 medal haul now includes two golds, three silvers, and a bronze from six Futures tournaments with various partners, adding to a 2023 bronze. This marked her second consecutive medal with Elsa Descamps, following their silver at last month`s Montpellier Futures. For Descamps, it was her fourth Beach Pro Tour podium. The second-seeded French pair reached the Brno final with four straight wins, culminating in a tight 2-1 (21-12, 19-21, 17-15) semifinal triumph over Heleene Hollas and Liisa Remmelg.
The fourth-seeded Estonian duo, Heleene Hollas and Liisa Remmelg, recovered to sweep the third-place match 2-0 (21-16, 21-19) against Pospisilova and Mokra, securing the bronze medal with a 4-1 win-loss record. This marks their eighth Beach Pro Tour medal.
Men`s Tournament Highlights
Swiss Volley`s beach volleyball program has received USD 366,000 in coach support from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment, enabling their men`s national teams to train under the guidance of coach Philip Gabathuler.
In Brno, Switzerland`s eighth-seeded pair, Florian Breer and Luc Fluckiger, earned their second Beach Pro Tour medal, adding to their Geneva Futures silver from June. After a narrow semifinal defeat to Czechia`s Adam Waber and Matyas Jezek, they fought back to win the bronze medal match 2-1 (21-19, 18-21, 15-13) against Slovakia`s ninth-seeded Lubos Nemec and Adrian Petruf.
The top-seeded men`s duo, Jakub Sepka and Jiri Sedlak of Czechia, dominated the Brno tournament, securing their second Beach Pro Tour gold and third overall medal without dropping a single set in five matches. They delivered a commanding 2-0 (21-18, 21-16) semifinal victory over Nemec and Petruf, followed by a decisive 2-0 (21-13, 21-16) win against their 11th-seeded compatriots Waber and Jezek in the final.
Adam Waber and Matyas Jezek mirrored their silver medal performance from last year`s Brno Futures, marking their second podium finish on the Beach Pro Tour. Their semifinal win was a hard-fought 2-1 (25-23, 18-21, 15-12) battle against Breer and Fluckiger.
The Brno Futures tournament saw participation from 28 women`s and 28 men`s duos, representing 21 different federations.
Jasper Thornfield 
Finley Blackwood