At the U22 European Beach Volleyball Championships recently concluded in Baden, Ukraine and France delivered outstanding performances to secure the coveted gold medals. Four of the six medal-winning nations at the event benefited from the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment funding program, highlighting its significant impact on national federations.
Women`s Tournament: Ukrainian Triumph
Ukraine`s Yeva Serdiuk and Daria Romaniuk showcased remarkable dominance in the women`s tournament. They swept through all seven of their matches without dropping a single set, claiming their first continental gold. This victory adds to their impressive track record, including U18 European silver in 2021 and U19 world champions in 2022. In a decisive final, they defeated Czechia`s Katerina and Anna Pavelkova with a clean 2-0 score (21-16, 21-18).
The 19-year-old Pavelkova twins from Czechia also had an exceptional run, reaching the final undefeated, having only conceded one set throughout the competition. Their semifinal win against Poland`s Malgorzata Ciezkowska and Urszula Lunio secured their fourth age-category continental medal. Poland`s Ciezkowska and Lunio ultimately earned the bronze, winning a thrilling 2-1 match (21-23, 22-20, 15-13) against Switzerland.
Men`s Tournament: French Dominance
In the men`s competition, France`s Teo Rotar and Arthur Canet, already U19 world champions (2021) and U20 European champions (2023), added another U22 European title to their growing collection. They navigated their seven-game campaign in Baden, dropping only one set en route to the top of the podium. Their final victory was a commanding 2-0 (21-14, 21-18) sweep against Latvia’s Olivers Bulgacs and Kristians Fokerots.
Latvia`s Bulgacs and Fokerots, who had previously earned U20 and U22 continental bronze medals, elevated their performance to secure silver this year. Austria’s Timo Hammarberg and Tim Berger claimed the bronze medal, recovering from a tight semifinal loss to the French champions by defeating Lithuania’s Karolis Palubinskas and Povilas Piesina 2-0 (21-18, 21-8) in the third-place match.
FIVB Empowerment Program: A Catalyst for Success
A key factor in the success of many medal-winning federations was the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program. This initiative provides crucial financial and technical support to national federations for the development of both indoor and beach volleyball. For instance:
- The **Ukraine Volleyball Federation** has received USD 670,000 in ongoing support since 2022.
- The **Czech Volleyball Federation** benefited from USD 168,000 for women’s beach volleyball coach support and USD 24,000 for coach development, utilizing the expertise of Argentinean coach Sebastian Menegozzo.
- The **Federation Francaise de Volleyball** has been allocated over USD 1 million for coach support and an additional USD 5,500 for beach volleyball equipment.
- **Austria`s beach volleyball program** received USD 84,000 in coach support and USD 6,000 for knowledge transfer, with Greek coach Georgios Kotsilianos guiding their men`s national duos.
This strategic investment underscores the FIVB`s commitment to fostering young talent and developing the infrastructure necessary for high-level beach volleyball, directly contributing to the outstanding results seen at these European Championships.
The CEV U22 Beach Volleyball European Championships saw fierce competition among 32 women’s and 32 men’s teams, representing 27 different national federations, all vying for continental glory.
Jasper Thornfield 
Finley Blackwood