Dear Friends,

On behalf of the Russian Volleyball Federation I welcome the participants of the SWATCH FIVB World Tour in Saint-Petersburg!
It is a great honor for us to host world beach volleyball elite in one of the most beautiful cities of the world. It is already the third tournament of this level in our country. In the year 1998 and 1999 such competitions took place in Moscow. Sports lovers in Russia know and understand this interesting game, in which one can find strength and skills, persistence and selflessness, suddenness and stability.
The tournament on the banks of the Neva is a team-work of various organizations and beach volleyball enthusiasts. I would like to thank everyone for their efforts!

I wish good luck to all teams!

Nikolay Patrushev
President
Russian Volleyball Federation

Dear Friends,

I am pleased to welcome you to the SWATCH FIVB World Tour, for the first time taking place in Russia. I would like to emphasize the highest level of this competition, because SWATCH Series is the only International Series which has received the Olympic status. Therefore we will definitely see only the stars of the world beach volleyball in the venue near Peter-and-Paul Fortress.

We hope that the Tournament will draw public attention and become a summer tradition for Saint-Petersburg, as beach volleyball is a combination of an exiting sports and entertainment. From our part, we will do our best to turn this July week into a real sports festival.

I wish all fans exciting and thrilling game, and players and guests — a pleasant stay in Saint-Petersburg.

I would like to express my gratitude again to the City Administration and to our partners for their strong support.
And let the strongest win!

Mikhail Rydnik
Tournament Director

The 2005 SWATCH-FIVB World Tour

Carried on the Wave!

Carried by the crowds and the media, Beach Volleyball is experiencing amazing growth, year after year. The phenomenal success of the matches played during the Summer Olympic Games in 1996, 2000 and 2004 has created a growing wave of popularity on all five continents. It is therefore with great pleasure that I express my best wishes to all of the participants in the 2005 SWATCH-FIVB World Tour as they once again prepare to live out an extraordinary adventure!

Launched in 1989 with only three competitions, the SWATCH-FIVB World Tour this year has scheduled no less than 32 tournaments — men and women included — in 18 different countries, with total prize money of 7.48 million dollars and fantastic media coverage! There will also be an opportunity to discover some fascinating new venues, including a stopover in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.

In addition, by bringing a Beach Volleyball Grand Slam tournament to Paris for the first time, the FIVB is reinforcing and enhancing a tradition. The Grand Slam is a cycle of competitions that is also a sort of legend for the athletes. The men and women who are lucky enough to participate in a Grand Slam event look forward to it with great excitement.

The concept is truly taking shape, with Paris constituting an important stage of the Grand Slam, along with Stavanger in Norway and Klagenfurt in Austria. In addition to these three pillars of the Grand Slam, this year's circuit also includes the 2005 World Championships, which will take place in Berlin in late June. And the Open tournaments are still an important part of the SWATCH-FIVB World Tour: Shanghai, Osaka, Gstaad, St Petersburg, Espinho, Montreal, Athens, Bali, Salvador, Acapulco and Cape Town are among the widely anticipated venues. Spectators will be able to enjoy matches all over the world, in the mountains and cities, on lakesides and ocean beaches… Yes, Beach Volleyball has a rhythm and a momentum that know no borders!

We are sure that this season will be fantastic! It is time for me to express my gratitude to all those who are working so hard to make the 2005 SWATCH-FIVB World Tour a world class event for Beach Volleyball fans. I would like to offer my words of friendship, admiration and encouragement to all the male and female athletes participating in the competitions. And finally, I would like to thank all of our partners, all of those who support our sport, and especially the fans, whose passion for volleyball is our breath of life.

Get involved, keep the ball flying!

Dr. Rubén Acosta
FIVB President