Teams receiving support from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment achieved notable success at last week`s Gstaad Elite stop on the Beach Pro Tour, securing gold, silver, and two bronze medals. Qatar`s Cherif Younousse & Ahmed Tijan claimed the men`s gold medal, while Stefan Boermans & Yorick de Groot from the Netherlands earned bronze. In the women`s competition, Latvia`s Tina Graudina & Anastasija Samoilova took silver, and Switzerland`s Anouk Verge-Depre & Zoe Verge-Depre won bronze. The women`s gold medal went to the USA pair, Kristen Nuss & Taryn Brasher.
This success is underpinned by significant investment from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment. The Qatar Volleyball Association`s beach volleyball department has received a total of USD 294,000 in coach support for their national pairs, along with USD 11,500 for equipment. Argentina`s Pablo Bernardi coaches Qatar`s men`s teams. The Netherlands Volleyball Federation (NEVOBO) has been allocated USD 217,600 for national beach teams` coach support. Their men`s duos are trained by coach Michiel van der Kuip, a 1995 European champion, and his staff.
Seeded third in the men`s main draw at Gstaad, Qatar`s Cherif Younousse & Ahmed Tijan navigated the tournament with a 5-1 win-loss record, securing their second Beach Pro Tour gold medal of the season. They defeated the Netherlands` Stefan Boermans & Yorick de Groot 2-0 (21-16, 21-18) in the semifinals and clinched a narrow 2-0 (21-19, 22-20) victory over Swedish qualifiers Jacob Holting Nilsson & Elmer Andersson in the final. Cherif & Ahmed have now accumulated four gold, three silver, and two bronze medals on the Beach Pro Tour.
The second-seeded Dutch pair, Boermans & De Groot, reached the Gstaad semifinals undefeated. After their loss to the Qatari team, they bounced back in a hard-fought bronze medal match, winning 2-1 (21-23, 21-17, 15-10) against the strong Brazilian duo George Wanderley & Andre Stein to claim bronze, their ninth Beach Pro Tour medal together.
The young Swedish team, 20-year-old Holting Nilsson and 19-year-old Andersson, began their Gstaad journey in the qualifications and finished with a 6-2 record, earning their first ever Elite-level medal. They had previously won four golds and a bronze at Challenge and Futures tournaments. Their successful run included a 2-0 (21-15, 21-18) semifinal win against George & Andre. For Andre, returning after some time off, this was his first Tour appearance this season, also requiring him and his partner to start from qualifications.
FIVB Volleyball Empowerment has also provided significant funding to other federations. The Volleyball Federation of Latvia has received USD 210,000 in coach support for their national beach volleyball teams, plus USD 5,500 for equipment. Spain`s Daniel Luis Wood Rodriguez guides their women`s duos. Swiss Volley`s beach volleyball program was allocated USD 366,000 in coach support, enabling their women`s national teams to train under Polish coach Damian Wojtasik.
Latvia`s Tina Graudina & Anastasija Samoilova secured silver in Switzerland, winning five out of their seven matches. This is their second Beach Pro Tour silver medal of the season (following Ostrava Elite) and brings their total BPT podium finishes to 11. As the eighth seeds, they reached the final by defeating fellow Empowerment-supported Swiss opponents Tanja Huberli & Leona Kernen (seeded 11th) 2-0 (21-18, 24-22) in their semifinal match.
In the other women`s semifinal, top-seeded Americans Kristen Nuss & Taryn Brasher defeated another Swiss pair, the sixth-seeded sisters Anouk Verge-Depre & Zoe Verge-Depre, 2-0 (21-14, 21-17). Nuss & Brasher completed a six-match winning streak by overcoming Tina & Anastasija in the final with a hard-fought 2-0 (21-19, 21-18) victory. Their impressive Beach Pro Tour medal count now stands at 10 gold, four silver, and two bronze medals.
The home crowd in Gstaad was treated to an all-Swiss women’s bronze medal match. Anouk & Zoe Verge-Depre claimed the podium spot after a 2-0 (21-17, 21-11) sweep, marking their fourth consecutive medal on the Beach Pro Tour, adding to a Spiez Futures silver, an Ostrava Elite bronze, and an Alanya Challenge gold.
A total of 32 men’s and 32 women’s teams, representing 22 different countries, participated in the Gstaad Elite event.
The next Elite event on the Beach Pro Tour calendar is scheduled for Montreal, Canada, from August 13 to 17.
Oliver Wrenwick 
Finley Blackwood