Beach Volleyball Thrives in NORCECA: A Year-Round Success

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 3, 2025 .– The NORCECA Beach Volleyball Commission held its virtual meeting to discuss the ongoing development and future of beach volleyball within the Confederation. With a commitment to year-round competition and structured growth, NORCECA continues to strengthen its position as a global force in beach volleyball.

Cristobal Marte Hoffiz, NORCECA President, emphasized the remarkable growth and sustainability of beach volleyball in the region over the past 20 years. “In 2025, NORCECA will host 20 Continental events, 13 stages of the NORCECA Beach Tour, two stages Under-23 NORCECA Tour, the NORCECA Qualification event for the 2025 FIVB World Championship, two underage (U18 and U21) NORCECA Qualification events for the respective FIVB World Championships and two multi-sport events (Junior Panamerican Games in Asunción and Central American Games in Guatemala).

Beach Volleyball Commission president, Eduard Drakich, welcomed the commission members, expressing gratitude for the dedication of the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Department and recognizing the positive impact of NORCECA’s calendar expansion. He highlighted recent international achievements, such as Cuba’s gold medal in an Elite Volleyball World Beach Pro event and Canada’s Olympic silver medal in women, emphasizing that these teams developed within NORCECA’s system.

The Beach Volleyball Department is working diligently to increase participation across more countries and to secure FIVB ranking points for zonal association events, where permanent facilities in countries such as Nicaragua, El Salvador, Bonaire, Trinidad & Tobago, and the Dominican Republic was highlighted, and which ensure the smooth organization of events and ease of travel arrangements for athletes. While the Dominican Republic remains a key hub for beach volleyball, consistently hosting several high-profile events.

Zonal associations have been in continuous growth, in which the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association (ECVA) was praised delivering tournaments with massive participation, as well as the Central American Volleyball Association (AFECAVOL) who has successfully launched underage Beach Volleyball events, completing the full cycle of age-group tournaments. In addition, the NORCECA Beach Tour, in coordination with AFECAVOL, has strengthened the Central American Tour, integrating four stages within the NORCECA Beach Tour.

Among the major events scheduled for 2025 is the Senior World Qualification Tournament in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, to be held before September 22, in which twelve teams per gender based on the 2024 NORCECA country rankings will compete.  The Commission also discussed preparations for two U23 events leading up to Asunción, further solidifying NORCECA’s commitment to developing young talent.

A significant topic addressed was that the underage tournaments will align with FIVB’s revised age groups, U18 and U21. NORCECA U18 and U21 World Championships Qualifiers which will further showcase the Confederation’s strength in youth development. The top three countries from each of the CAZOVA and ECVA zonal qualification tournaments, the top four countries from the AFECAVOL zonal qualification tournament and all six countries from the Central Zone will compete in these Continental qualifiers.

Ariel Sainz, NORCECA First Vice-president and member of the Sports Organizing Commission,  provided updates on the Junior Pan American Games to be held this year in Asunción, Paraguay. He also explained that for the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games to take place in Santo Domingo, the representatives from Colombia and Venezuela must compete in the 2025 NORCECA Tour to qualify, requiring a top eight finish in the final ranking, however, for NORCECA rankings, these teams will be excluded.

Ed Drakich expressed in his closing statement, “I praise the efficiency of the meeting, and the valuable discussions held, reaffirming NORCECA’s commitment to collaboration and excellence. The Confederation’s structured approach ensures that beach volleyball continues to flourish, delivering high-level competition throughout the year”.