Moscow Grand Slam features an Olympic flair

Moscow, Russia, May 23, 2016 – For the ninth-straight season on the FIVB World Tour, the Russian capital will host the planet’s best Beach Volleyball players as the 2015-2016 season’s second “big” event starts here Tuesday with men’s and women’s qualifying competition.

All the leading candidates for berths in the Rio Olympics are participating this week, including defending Moscow Grand Slam champions Adrian Gavira/Pablo Herrera of Spain and Talita Antunes/Larissa Franca.  Both pairs defeated Rio-bound tandems for the 2015 Moscow gold medals.

With competition being held on four courts at the Vodny Stadium Beach Sports Centre, which is a 20-minute subway ride from iconic Red Square in the center of city that hosted the 1980 Olympic Games, the Moscow Grand Slam is the next to last qualifying event for the Rio 2016 Summer Games where the top 15 pairs from the FIVB World Tour will advance to the Copacabana quadrennial August 6-18.

A total of 104 pairs from 32 countries are currently on the entry list for the Moscow Grand Slam where eight teams each from the men’s and women’s qualifiers will advance to Wednesday’s opening “money” rounds in the US$800,000 event.   Pool play will be featured both Wednesday and Thursday with elimination matches Friday and Saturday to set the lineup for Sunday’s medal matches.

The host country will have three men’s and five women’s pairs competing Tuesday in the qualifier as Russia has already …

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