Photo: Sports Events Gstaad
The world’s best beach volleyball players will hit the sand at the annual
Gstaad Grand Slam July 9 – 14.
Always a draw given its generous $480,000 purse and unique locale, this year’s Grand Slam will attract even more of the sport’s top athletes, as they’ll already be in the neighborhood, attending the World Championships in Poland the week beforehand. That includes the 2012 Olympic Champions and the new 2013 World Champions as well. What’s more, the event will give fans of the Swiss teams, many of whose players retired last year after the Olympics, a chance to encourage young talent and see their new teams in action.
“Olympic champion Julius Brink considers our Grand Slam a welcome tradition,” says Ruedi Kunz, tournament director, “He has already booked the cozy apartment in Saanen where he’s been staying for ten years now. Players tell me coming back to Gstaad year after year feels a little bit like coming home.”
World Tour comes to town
The Gstaad Grand Slam is one of eleven events in the World Tour, pulling in professional beach volleyball players from around the globe. Given its mountainous backdrop and quaint village feel, Gstaad stands in stark contrast to other Grand Slams, which are played in urban locales like Beijing, Sao Paulo and Rome.
The brainchild of local businessman Ruedi Kunz and his wife, former Swiss national team beach volleyball star Mägi, the Gstaad Grand Slam has won the hearts of players and fans alike since its inception in 2000. Little more than a decade later, Gstaad is considered one of the favourite Grand Slams by adoring crowds who travel the world just to be here for the weeklong event.
The event has come a long way since its beginnings as a women’s-only tournament. That first year the weather was unseasonably cold, summer having vanished into the thin Alpine air. It was so frigid that the Brazilian team asked for a tub of hot water to warm their feet during breaks. In 2001, the Gstaad Grand Slam expanded further to include men’s teams, and even hosted the 2007 World Championships.
Red Bull, Zumba and more
No matter what the weather, participants should play and party in style at this year’s Gstaad Grand Slam. Red Bull will host the bar, promoting its glossy RedBulletin magazine. DJs will spin during the weekend for everyone’s listening, lounging and dancing pleasure. Thursday evening, a Zumba party will take over the center court – complete with free introductory classes. At Sunday’s lunch break, the Swiss pop-rock star Marc Sway will perform a free concert for the whole crowd.
And breaking with tradition, the Gstaad Grand Slam 2013 will save the best for last, hosting both the men’s and women’s finals on the last day of the tournament, Sunday, July 14.