Eight countries will send teams to participate at the Fourth CISM World Military Beach Volleyball Championship to be held at the Negombo Beach in Sri Lanka from February 12 to 17.
There will be 16 men’s teams and 12 women’s teams in action with them being divided into four groups each. The preliminary round will be played on league basis on the Negombo beach near Goldie Sands Hotel. The first two teams from each group will go on to play in the quarter-finals on a knock-out basis.
The finals will be played in the morning of February 17 at the same venue including the game for third place.
The teams will arrive on February 11 and will depart on February 18. The player should have been employed in the Services for at least six months to make him eligible to play for the forces team.
This year’s tournament is expected to be thrilling and highly competitive as it extends to military volleyball players from Colombia, Germany, France, Netherlands, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and the host Sri Lanka.
The first Military Beach Volleyball Championship was held in Germany in 2014 followed by Brazil in 2017 and China in 2019.
Sri Lanka could not take part in the first championship. Thereafter Sri Lanka participated in Brazil and China and both the men’s and women’s teams won the fair-play award in China.
This is the fourth International Military Sport Council (CISM) World Military Beach Volleyball Championship and hosted by the Sri Lankan Military under the supervision of the president of the Defence Services Sports Board. Support comes from the Air Force Sports Council, the Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana and also with the overwhelming support of the Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Vikum Liyanage and the Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera.