By Lisa Flueckiger, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – This weekend the Circuito Banco do Brasil beach volleyball competition will play its leg in Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Copacabana Beach, offering the opportunity to watch some of the world’s best beach volleyball players compete for free. The tournament started on Friday, October 18th and will go until Sunday, the 20th, when the finals will be held.
Each day the game starts at 8AM and a new schedule of matches is released. All matches take place on the sands of Copacabana beach in front of the Avenida Princesa Isabel towards the Leme side of the neighborhood.
Participating in the competition are some of the world’s best beach volleyball players. Brazil has twelve male and nine female top players, as well as a number of wild card players.
Famous male competitors include World Cup champion and Olympic silver medal winner duo Emanuel and Alison, Bruno Schmidt, as well as Pedro Solberg, ranked number two in the world by the FIVB International Volleyball Federation.
The key games will bring together some of Brazil’s best and brightest. The women’s tournament will see Olympic bronze medal winner and 2011 world champion, Juliana, compete together with Maria Elisa against the likes of 2013 world champion Talita.
The Circuito Banco do Brasil tournament taking place in Rio de Janeiro, and several locations across Brazil, is considered the country’s main beach volleyball competition. Each city-stage is played out as a full competition, allocating points for a full ranking at the end.
After soccer (football), beach volleyball is one of the most popular sports in Brazil. This in turn has produced some of the best players in the world, always contenders for medals at international competitions and Olympic Games.
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