JaVA Prepares to Host 2016 Olympic Beach Volleyball Qualifier

Preparation is in high gear as the Jamaica Volleyball Association (JaVA) gets ready to host its first international beach volleyball tournament in six years - a first round qualifier to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. The event, the CAZOVA Women Continental Cup, will unfold from May 01 - 03 at the Ocho Rios Bay Beach and will see 28 female teams, representing 14 Caribbean National Federations, competing for 4 spots in the next round of qualifiers.

JaVA's President, Rudolph Speid, revealed that his Local Organizing Committee (LOC) only started planning for the tournament mid last week in response to an urgent appeal by the regional controlling body, CAZOVA, for a country to host the event. "Despite the short planning time so far, the LOC has been able to all but concretize the major elements of the plan. We are not only confident that we will have everything in place but we are aiming at making this tournament one of the most memorable events the athletes would ever have participated in. We are therefore planning with great attention to detail and with a sense of alacrity.

Following on the historic qualification of the U-19 Boys team to the 2014 Youth Olympic Games, the senior players are eyeing a spot at the Rio Olympics next year. Jamaica's senior male and female teams qualified to the third round of the 2012 London Olympic qualifiers but were blocked by their North and Central American counterparts. The first round qualifier for the male tournament will take place in Trinidad from May 7 - 11, 2015.

For further information please contact Rudolph Speid, President of JaVA.