On May 26-27, Beach Volleyball Republic will wrap up their inaugural national circuit, BVR on Tour, naming the overall champions of their seven-leg journey at the Sands by the Bay in Pasay City.
Instead of taking a break after a successful first season, BVR already has another big event in the pipeline. The ladies of BVR are going international, inviting some of the best players from all over the world for a tournament in Sta. Ana, Cagayan on June 9-11.
The BVR International Tournament will have pairs from Brazil, Thailand, New Zealand, the USA, and representatives from other countries.
The founders of the start-up are still focused on the finale of BVR on Tour, which they are are both organizing and competing in, before finalizing the details of the international tournament.
“We have to wait for the approval of the LVPI because we want this to be sanctioned,” said Charo Soriano, one of the BVR founders.
BVR started out when its founders wanted to consistently have tournaments to play and to spread their love for beach volleyball in our beach-laden country.
Soriano and her fellow founders Dzi Gervacio, Bea Tan, and Fille Cainglet-Cayetano, are very hands-on with their events as they also do most of the leg work of organizing the events, media relations, and getting support from sponsors and other organizations.
In just a year, BVR has already launched multiple tournaments and inked a major broadcasting partnership with ABS-CBN. An international tournament should cement their place as the premier beach volleyball league in the country.
BVR tournament director, Tony Boy Liao finds that beach volleyball is an amazing sport as it gives players optimal longevity, citing beloved Brazilian spiker Leila Barros’ success in the sport.
Leila Barros was a big star here in the Philippines when the country hosted an FIVB tournament (FIVB Images)
“If you can remember, Leila Barros after she retired from indoor volleyball, she went straight into beach volleyball and she is still playing now. It must be something about playing in the soft sand and outdoors that rejuvenates these athletes,” Liao expressed.
Although Soriano made no certainties, she said that she will work on getting Barros back in the Philippines.
Barros made an impression on the nation when the Philippines hosted the World Grand Prix in the early 2000s. Among the youth she inspired was Soriano who continues to wear jersey number 8 because of her.
“She was definitely a huge influence on me growing up. We would definitely want to invite her here one day,” Soriano closed.
Given what these ladies have achieved in a such a short period of time, there’s nothing a little magis can’t do.
