2023 AeQuilibrium Beach Volley Marathon – an even more inclusive Beach Volleyball event!

We are delighted at ParaVolley Europe to be partnering for the second year running with the popular Beach Volley Marathon!

The organisers and location of the 28th edition of the event have already got it off to a winning start by introducing Beach ParaVolley, including a sitting version so that athletes with and without physical disabilities can play alongside each other. Past and present champions will be among the colourful crowds of participants, with numbers expected to top 20,000. They’ll spend three incomparable days battling it out in matches spread over 300 courts.

As well as being the 28th edition of the biggest open beach volleyball tournament in the world, the event on Bibione beach (near Venice) in May will also be the only Italian stage of the International Beach ParaVolley Championship (Sitting and Standing) and will see the debut of beach sitting volleyball featuring teams of people with or without physical disabilities.

Some of the rules might be different, but the players are on the same sand as everyone else and the competition is just as tough, as champions and “simple amateurs” show their skills in this spellbinding inclusive sport. The highly sought-after and well-organized addition to the line-up is the jewel in the crown of the sports event, which attracts tens of thousands of people to the Veneto beach every year. From 12 to 14 May, it will show just how powerful sport can be when it is open to everyone, whether they’re playing or watching.

We all know about Beach Volleyball and the acrobatic feats that can be seen out on the courts. The rules for the sitting version are essentially the same, but players must always keep in contact with the ground. The ball can touch any part of their bodies. It encapsulates the simple power of sport, which can genuinely change people’s perspectives. A huge team is getting everything ready right now in Bibione, on the biggest beach in Italy.

Trials for making international Beach ParaVolley part of the same event as the legendary Beach Marathon were carried out in 2022, as ParaVolley Europe President Branko Mihorko recalled: “Here on the coast last year, we found an exceptional mindset and a resort that is seriously committed to inclusion. It’s exciting to be back together at the AeQuilibrium Beach Volley Marathon, where everyone will be able to see how sitting volleyball puts athletes with and without disabilities on the same level. It’ll be an unforgettable event.”

300 courts have been set up across a total area of 120,000 m². 3,000 teams are expected to take part in the AeQuilibrium Beach Volley Marathon®. Past and present champions will be among those throwing down the gauntlet and taking on challenges in six different categories: Women’s 2×2, Men’s 2×2, Mixed 2×2, Women’s 3×3, Men’s 3×3 and Mixed 4×4.

The Italian stage of the International Beach ParaVolley Championship will feature Standing and Sitting competitions, the latter of which will also be open to competitors in the Beach Marathon.

There’s a palpable sense of satisfaction in the air in record-breaking Bibione, whose many ground-breaking initiatives include becoming the first accessible tourist destination in Italy. “We offer a warm welcome to everyone as part of our all-embracing hospitality culture, so making an outstanding sporting event like the AeQuilibrium Beach Volley Marathon® even more inclusive is an amazing achievement,” states Giuliana Basso, the President of Bibione Live tourism promotion association. “Let’s hope it sets a trend for lots of other resorts to follow.”

Please follow and like us: