All is set for the 2023 Asian Senior Beach Volleyball Championships at Beach Sport Base of Pingtan in Fuzhou, China from June 23 to 26, with a record of 58 teams from 15 countries including 32 men’s teams strutting their stuff to contend for the Asian men’s and women’s titles.
In the men’s event, Qataris Cherif Younousse/Ahmed Tijan, bronze medallists at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics who earlier this month picked up silver at the Beach Pro Tour Elite 16 event in Ostrava, Czech Republic, are back to defend their Asian title achieved in Bandar Abbas, Iran last year when they stunned title-holders Chris McHugh/Paul Burnett in the final showdown.
Since the inaugural championship in 2000 in Chinese city of Yangjiang, Australia had already captured 5 gold medals in this topflight championship. Veteran McHugh proved a major force to be reckoned with for Australia as he alone won them all. In 2012, he teamed up with Isaac Kapa to win Australia’s first Asian title in Haikou, China. The Australian duo repeated the feat in 2014 and 2016 for three in a row.
In 2020 in Udon Thani, McHugh partnered Damien Schumann to win the Asian title and the following year in Phuket, Thailand saw McHugh take his straight fifth gold when he teamed up with Paul Burnett to capture the title.
Apart from McHugh/Burnett, Australia remains strong with the likes of Thomas Hodges/Zachery Schubert, fresh from winning their fairy-tale campaign at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Jurmala Challenge in Latvia.
China’s Ha Likejiang/Wu Jiaxin are ready to play their best on home soil. The Chinese duo had already captured three titles this year consisting of the AVC Beach Tour Samila Open in Thailand, the Beach Pro Tour Futures Coolangatta Beach in Australia and Beach Pro Tour Futures Mt Maunganui Beach in New Zealand.
The 32 men’s teams were split into 8 pools of four teams each to compete in the pool round-robin preliminaries, with only top two teams from each pool advancing to the round of 16.
Hosts China fielded 4 teams. Thailand, Iran, Australia, New Zealand and Kazakhstan sent 3 teams apiece, while Qatar, Hong Kong China, Japan, Oman, Indonesia and Philippines had 2 teams each and India fielded one team.
Chinese Ha Likejiang/Wu Jiaxin are top seeds and will compete in Pool A, while Qatari second seeds Cherif/Ahmed will play in Pool B. Australians Hodges/Schubert are third seeds to play in Pool C, with Australian fourth seeds McHugh/Burnett in Pool D. Promising Pithak Tipjan/Poravid Taovalo from Thailand, who took gold medal at the Subic Bay Futures in the Philippines last December, are sixth seeds to compete in Pool F.
Meanwhile, in the women’s competition, China took the lion’s share of 10 gold medals, followed by Australia (5), Thailand (4), Japan and New Zealand (one apiece).
Thailand’s Taravadee Naraphornrapat/Worapeerachayakorn Kongphopsarutawadee captured the 2021 Asian crown in Phuket, but missed the podium in 2022. Kiwis Shaunna Polley/Alice Zeimann reigned supreme, leaving Tokyo Olympic silver medallists Taliqua Clancy/Mariafe Artacho del Solar from Australia and Chinese Xia Xinyi/Lin Meimei to pick up silver and bronze medals respectively.
Alice Zeimann is back to defend her title, but this time she is coming with new partner Olivia MacDonald. Other big names in the women’s event included 2016 Asian champions Xia Xinyi/Xue Chen. Xue, like Australian McHugh in the men’s event, had already captured 5 gold medals in the Asian Championships. Xue teamed up with Zhang Xi to win four editions in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Xue switched to partner Xia Xinyi to claim the 2016 edition.
This year, a total of 26 teams from 10 countries took part in the women’s e event featuring hosts China, Australia and Japan with four teams apiece. Thailand and Kazakhstan fielded 3 teams each, Hong Kong China and New Zealand fielded 2 teams apiece, while Philippines, Macau China and Vanuatu sent one each.
Chinese Lin Meimei/Zeng Jinjin are top seeds to compete in Pool A, Thailand’s Naraphornrapat/Worapeerachayakorn are in Pool B, with Japan’s third seeds Miki Ishii/Sayaka Mizoe and fourth seeds Akiko Hasegawa/Yurika Sakaguchi in Pool C and Pool D respectively.
Twenty-six teams had been divided into 8 pools with 3 teams each in Pool A, B, C, D, E and F. Pool G and Pool H featured 4 teams apiece. Like the men’s event, the women’s teams will compete in the pool round-robin preliminaries, with only top two teams through to the round of 16.
The Technical Meeting and drawing of lots had been held at Argyle Pingtan Resort Hotel on Thursday, with all participating teams attending to hear the competition information and relevant matters from Technical Delegate Mr Tomoki Kimishima and Referee Delegate Ms Mariko Satomi, both of them from Japan. Also in attendance was Ms Nattalida Sumdangdech, AVC Officer in charge of AVC Beach Volleyball Department.
ROUND-ROBIN RANKING
Women
Match schedule
Men
Match schedule
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