2008 WUC Beach Volleyball: Opening Ceremony
July 2nd, 2008
Intoxicating Opening Ceremony on the Centre Court
The weather could not have been better during the Opening Ceremony of the 4th World University Beach Volleyball Championship in Hamburg. In the early evening all the participants met in the town hall Altona: The commissioners of the FISU, the referees and the athletes from 23 different nations. According to the program, the International Technical Delegate Mark Tennant, introduced and welcomed the delegations and referees warmly to Hamburg. Subsequently the tension was intense when the lots for the fixtures of the World University Championship were drawn. The men compete in 8 pools, whereas the women are split into 7 groups. Due to the leading teams being seeded there were no big surprises. ‘We are very happy about the drawing and are looking forward to the rest of the evening’, said Frederike Fischer the athlete from a German team.
Together with the attachés the participants walked back to the venue, where the band Riverboot from Hamburg waited for the nations with live music. The setting was beautiful and the musicians rocked the centre court and the VIP’s. ‘I wish the athletes a successful tournament but at the same time hope that they stick to the Olympic principle: The most important thing is to take part’, said the District Mayor from Hamburg Altona, Jürgen Warmke-Rose.
The highlight was the entry of the nations into the centre court which was an imposing sight for the spectators. The 120 athletes followed their flags and gathered on the centre court where Karin Nentwig welcomed the guests in the name of the University Sports Hamburg. With great interest the participants and VIP’s listened to the speech of Sinisa Jasnic, member of the FISU Executive Committees. Briefly Jasnic whished the athletes fair matches and the time to experience the beautiful City of Hamburg. The last official speaker Mischa Lumme, Head of the Delegation of the German teams and ADH Board Member, pointed out: ‘The World University Championship is a reference for the Organizing Committee concerning the application for the 2015 Universiade in Hamburg. The unique atmosphere, professional organisation and the support of the City of Hamburg will make the WUBC an unforgettable event to everybody.’ Finally the FISU flag was hoisted. In addition the students and referees took the oath about sportsmanship, fair play and fair decisions.
