Futures in Europe
After visiting Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Bulgaria, Czechia, Latvia, Sweden, and Greece, the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour makes its way to France this week. Montpellier is hosting a double-gender Futures event scheduled from Thursday through Sunday.
As a key training base for France`s national teams, the city of Montpellier is the ideal location for the tournament. The event will unfold at the well-regarded Montpellier Beach Volley Club, situated in Parc de La Rauze.
Many athletes who have already achieved podium finishes in Beach Pro Tour Futures events this season are set to compete in Montpellier. A notable participant is 22-year-old French standout Anouk Dupin. She has played in four tournaments with three different partners this year and medaled in every one: securing gold in Valencia with Saofe Duval and in Jurmala with Marine Kinna, silver in Madrid with Alex Merle, and bronze in Battipaglia with Kinna.
For this week`s competition, Dupin will team up with 28-year-old Elsa Descamps, who recently earned a bronze medal in Geneva with Romane Sobezalz. Saofe Duval has also found success with multiple partners this season, finishing third in Ios alongside Marilu Pally.
Beach Pro Tour Montpellier Futures – Women
Two teams that previously claimed gold medals will aim for a repeat performance in France this week: Czech Republic`s Martina Maixnerova/Kylie Neuschaeferova, who won in Messina, and Germany`s Janne Uhl/Paula Schürholz, the champions of the Madrid event.
Other female medalists participating in Montpellier include Estonians Eva Liisa Kuivonen and Liisa-Lotta Jürgenson, who secured silver in Jurmala, and Spanish players Sofía Izuzquiza, Sofía González, and Ana Vergara. The Sofías took bronze together in Kraków, while Izuzquiza also finished third in Sveti Vlas partnered with Vergara.
The women`s tournament in Montpellier will feature 28 teams representing 17 countries: France (4), Spain (3), Czech Republic (2), Latvia (2), Norway (2), Peru (2), Switzerland (2), the United States (2), Argentina, Belgium, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, and the Netherlands.
Olympians Lead the Men`s Field
The men`s tournament in the Montpellier Futures also includes players who have achieved success at the Futures level this season. Headlining the list are Austrians Robin Seidl and Alexander Huber. They have reunited nine years after representing Austria at the Rio 2016 Olympics and have already reached the podium twice this season, earning bronze medals in Battipaglia and Ios.
In their inaugural season competing together on the Beach Pro Tour, Germans Robin Sowa and Jonas Reinhardt have also secured a medal, taking silver in Cervia. Spanish pair Antonio Saucedo and Álvaro Iglesias, bronze medalists in Malmö, and Bulgarians Dimitar Kalchev and Dimitar Mehandzhiyski, who earned Bulgaria`s first-ever Beach Pro Tour medal with a bronze at their home event in Sveti Vlas, are the other medalists entered in the men`s draw.
Beach Pro Tour Montpellier Futures – Men
Similar to the women`s event, the men`s competition in Montpellier will feature 28 duos, representing 18 nations. Host nation France has the largest contingent with five teams, followed by Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Spain, and Sweden with two teams each. Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, and Switzerland each have one team participating.
The tournament is scheduled to commence on Thursday with qualification rounds for both genders. The main draw begins on Friday with pool play, followed by the elimination rounds on Saturday. The semifinals and medal matches will determine the champions on Sunday in Montpellier.
These European Beach Pro Tour Futures events are a collaborative effort between the CEV and Volleyball World. They provide European teams with valuable opportunities to compete internationally and accumulate significant ranking points.
Torin Vale 
Gideon Holt