BVR returns. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The Beach Volleyball Republic returns on Friday after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
BVR will play two legs inside a bubble environment in Santa Ana, Cagayan with 25 teams competing for the championship. There will be 14 teams participating in the women’s division while the men’s class features 11 clubs.
The first leg will be held from October 22 to 25 while the second is set from October 28-31.
“Apart from sports really trying to come back, I think right now the message that we want to give out to the public, the majority, and the audience, the stakeholders of volleyball is that sports is a catalyst of hope,” said BVR founder Charo Soriano, who is also the Philippine National Volleyball Federation’s Beach Volleyball Chairperson.
“By doing this, it gives a lot of hope to our community, to be more specific, the sporting community because we want to be able to show them that there are things that we still can do and look forward to even during the pandemic,” she added.
The two legs are also part of the national teams’ buildup for the Asian Seniors Beach Volleyball Championship slated from November 23 to 27 in Phuket, Thailand.
As part of the strict health and safety guidelines, members of the BVR delegation were required to undergo an RT-PCR test three days before entering the bubble and an antigen test upon entry.
“A lot of us who are doing this, organizing this, have been sacrificing more than usual. To organize an event is already difficult in itself, what more, organizing an event during the pandemic. So everybody needs to give a little bit of something extra than usual. That for me, I think is such a beautiful thing,” said Soriano.
“To see people cooperating, participating, and really going the extra mile just to make this happen. Again it’s all for us to feel that semblance of hope that things can be normal again for everybody.
Creamline, PLDT, TM, Biogenic, Eastern Communications, Toyota-Tuguegarao, Black Mamba Army, Sta. Lucia Lady Realtors, Boysen, Delimondo and Good Health-CDO comprise the women’s field.
The men’s field, on the other hand, features Creamline, PLDT, ARMY-FSD Makati, DeliRush, Tuguegarao, EVI Construction and Negros Occidental Beach Volleyball Club.