Morocco successfully leveraged its home advantage to emerge victorious at the CAVB Beach Volleyball Championships, held at Tetouan`s Martil beach from June 25 to 29.
Both the men`s and women`s competitions saw Moroccan teams clinch the titles. Soufiane El-Gharouti and Anass Saber won the men’s event, while Mahassine Zerouali Siad and Dina El Ghazoui were crowned women`s champions. Teams supported by the Volleyball Empowerment program, including Morocco and Mozambique, featured prominently on the podiums.
The Moroccan teams benefit from the expertise of Italian coach Ezio Goia, who oversees their senior and Under-21 squads as part of a Coach Support project valued at $364,000. Similarly, the Volleyball Empowerment program supports Mozambique`s senior men`s and women`s national teams under Dutch coach Han Abbing through a Coach Support project worth $445,000.
Men`s Tournament Highlights
The men`s final was an all-Moroccan showdown. Soufiane El-Gharouti and Anass Saber overcame a first-set deficit to defeat compatriots Zouheir El-Graoui and Iliyas Lazar 2-1 (17-21, 21-18, 15-10) in a competitive match lasting nearly an hour.
In the semi-finals, El-Gharouti/Saber secured their spot in straight sets against Togo’s Koffi Abraham Kotoka and Kuamivi Achille Samani (21-19, 21-16). El-Graoui and Iliyas advanced with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Mozambique’s Jose Alberto Mondlane and Osvaldo Mungoi (14-21, 21-16, 15-10).
Mondlane and Mungoi from Mozambique recovered to win the bronze medal match, beating Kotoka and Samani 2-0 (21-15, 21-14). This result meant teams benefiting from the Volleyball Empowerment program swept the men`s podium.
Women`s Tournament Highlights
The women`s competition concluded with a similar outcome. Mahassine Zerouali Siad and Dina El Ghazoui claimed the gold medal for Morocco by defeating Mozambique’s Vanessa Muianga and Mercia Mucheza 2-0 (21-15, 23-21) in the final.
The Moroccan pair reached the final by winning their semi-final against Nigeria’s Pamela Bawa and Esther Mbah 2-0 (21-10, 21-16). Muianga and Mucheza secured their final berth after a 2-1 victory over Egypt’s Marwa Magdy and Nada Hamdy (19-21, 21-19, 15-09).
Nigeria earned the bronze medal, with Pamela Bawa and Esther Mbah overcoming Marwa Magdy and Nada Hamdy 2-1 (14-21, 20-22, 15-09) in the third-place playoff.
The top four teams in both the men`s and women`s divisions have qualified to represent Africa at the upcoming FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships, scheduled to take place in Adelaide, Australia, from November 14 to 23 this year.
The tournament saw significant participation, with 19 women`s teams from 13 countries and 25 men`s pairs from 15 nations competing.
Oliver Wrenwick 
Finley Blackwood