12-APRIL-2013
CTARVP BETS ON THE NATIONAL TEAM
AND INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS
 

The Portuguese Volleyball Federation (FPV) met this week with club officials aiming to implement the Beach Volleyball Training Centers for High Performance (CTARVP) in 2013, which will cover the U-18, U-20 and Senior teams, both men and women.

In the end, Francisco Fidalgo, responsible for CTARVP, explained the objectives for the Beach Volleyball:
“The meeting served mainly for clubs to take notice of the Beach Volleyball project throughout the year which FPV intends to implement starting this season. Given the fact that most of the athletes selected take part of clubs that are competing in the national championships, we will try that our work does not overlap with their work, but joining the interests of both parts, listening obviously the opinion of the minor athletes’ parents as well”.

This year could become a milestone in the work of CTARVP.

“We have gone through several stages of evolution and inevitably we would evolve into what it’s making Beach Volleyball operate throughout the year. Still not the entire sporting season but starting a little before the end of the indoor season to earn a bit of time, especially because they are concerned that contributions are extremely important for the Beach Volleyball training.
This is a project that aims to continue throughout the summer in order to, starting next season, continue to work throughout the year”.

Always with the international competitions on the horizon.
Portugal will face Austria, Liechtenstein and France in Pool D of the Beach Volleyball Continental European Cup, in the Under-18 category, a qualifying competition for the 2014 Youth Olympic Games, to be held at the Chinese city of Najing.
A total of 32 (men) and 34 (women) national associations have registered for this Continental Cup.

“Apart from all that training centers do internally basically training athletes, talent selection, organization of competitions and tournaments, and even an Under Circuit, as happened last season, this year CTARVP has the project of working with National Teams.
We have teams of three levels, the Under-18, Under-20 and Senior, both men and women, which will start now aiming the participation in international events.
And one of those which involve us most right now is precisely the U-18 level, once next year will be held the Youth Olympic Games, which will include for the first time a qualification process very similar to what is used in the Continental Cup in seniors.
The draw has been made and we know with whom we compete. It's strong pool, as are all, obviously, as there are many European countries investing in Beach Volleyball in the recent years. One of them will be in our pool as the host country, which is Austria.
And then, we also play Liechtenstein and France, which is also a Volleyball powerhouse in general and in Beach Volleyball, has been from time to time, showing some interesting teams.
Right now is a little less mobilized and we have to bet on it to have some chances to pass this qualifying”.

The surprise factor is not one of the cards which could be played by the Portuguese as the opponents are already beginning to look at us with a different posture, after the silver medal achieved at the U-18 European Championship in 2010 and other significant results at the youth level international competitions.

“The Training Centers have existed for several years and this youth work is arduous and requires continuity; sometimes does pay off sooner, sometimes later, we cannot give it up. Rather, we must increase the scope and extend its geographic presence across the country, which have been one of the latest priorities.
The success of Mariana Filipe and Joana Neto was excellent because managed put the focus again on Beach Volleyball in Portugal, which practically disappeared since Miguel Maia and Joao Brenha stopped playing, despite the continued participation of other athletes, who obtained interesting rankings but couldn’t achieve the participation in the major international competitions. We have to recover it all.
At this time, the senior level of international Beach Volleyball is practically inaccessible with a single step. We will have to battle, through all the events and we will focus on the Continental Cup, which is a project less difficult to achieve.
We hope that our work will bear fruit and that arise athletes with potential and quality to begin to re-enter the International Circuit.
Without participation in international events is impossible. We have participated in some events, especially those that organize by ourselves which have been many, but there have not been conditions to participate consistently in events hosted in other countries".

FPV wants to participate in more events and put the athletes in the international circuit...

“We have the Center up and running for a long time, always based in the north, where are most athletes, but there is talent across the country and we are sorry for not being able yet to extend our work nationwide.
It is very important to have a center in the southern area, in this case in the Carcavelos beach, with a partnership involves also the Volleyball Association of Lisbon.
This center ran last year at Caldas da Rainha and now we also will have a National Teams core operating also in the Lisbon area. With athletes already detected and observed, we will increase the amount of work and with quality to be assured by the coaches whose work we know well.
The geographic scope needs to be further expanded and this will, in the future, as it is one of our main objectives”.

More info: www.fpvoleibol.pt / www.cev.lu  / www.fivb.org