The sun! The sand! The fans!!! And of course the action on court! What a start for the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour! Mexico brought the level of energy and fandom to another level, combining their love of the sport with a deep heritage in Tlaxcala and the energy of the Baja California peninsula in Rosarito. The players and the fans were dialed up to 10!

It all started in Tlaxcala!

From March 16 to 20, Tlaxcala was the place to be, with beach volleyball fans arriving from neighbouring cities to participate in the excitement.

The lineup for the event featured multiple Olympic and world champions, which guaranteed an unmissable combination of high-level competition, music and entertainment inside the iconic venue at the Plaza de Toros.

For those who couldn’t access the sold-out centre court, giant screens were set up around it, with packed crowds all day, everyday, thriving under the sun and cheering all players!

Autograph sessions were organized and over 600 lucky fans met their heroes. The players, who probably signed more autographs and were in more selfies than ever before, were also blown away by the incredible atmosphere.

“The atmosphere was amazing,” Polish gold medallist Bartosz Losiak said. “I don’t remember ever playing in such a fun environment. There were people cheering for us from the beginning of the tournament, and there was music and a real party outside. It was a great experience. It’s the first tournament of the new season and to have an atmosphere like this is incredible.”

From March 23 to 27, the tour traveled to the Pacific coast of the Baja California peninsula and Mexico turned everything up another notch. The inaugural Elite 16 event of the year featured a sunny and simply stunning setting with the Pacific Ocean waves on Rosarito Beach siding the two tournament courts built on the Mexican sand.

The level of competition was even higher with all of the best teams in the world entered in the event. But again, some of the highlights of the event were taking place outside the courts. With the tournament located on one of the most popular beaches in Mexico’s Baja California state, fans joining the beach volleyball party at Rosarito Beach were kept busy all day.

The tournament featured great crowds and excellent matches, and again it was the interaction between fans and players that made the event special.

“The promoters here in Mexico know how to throw a tournament,” American player Betsi Flint said after her debut in Rosarito. “It’s always packed and there are so many young girls here watching us. It’s pretty awesome that we’re able to inspire them.”

The two events in Mexico are now part of the Beach Pro Tour’s short history, but there is more great action to look out for soon. The first Future event on the calendar will take place from March 30 to April 3 in Coolangatta, Australia, with centre court matches streamed live on the Beach Volleyball World channel on Youtube. A Challenge level event will take place in Itapema, Brazil from April 14-17 and Ostrava in the Czech Republic will host the second Elite 16 event on the tour from May 25 to 29.

Get the results from the Tlaxcala and Rosarito websites and be sure to join us on Volleyball TV for more great action from the Beach Pro Tour.

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