The seminar was aimed at helping the organizers of the Asian Volleyball Confederation’s Continental Beach Volleyball Cup. The CNMI will host the CBVC’s first ‘Sub Zonal Tournament’ and includes teams from Guam, Papua New Guinea, Australia and the Federated States of Micronesia.
“Mr. Andrew Hercus, was extremely helpful and very detailed during the seminar as he showed us (the volleyball administrators from our respective national federations) how to organize not only Sub-Zonal Tournaments, like the one slated for March 4th-6th, 2011 at the Pacific Islands Club, but international beach volleyball tournaments according to the expected terms and conditions of the Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) through the Asian Volleyball Confederation under the auspices of the Oceania Zonal Volleyball Association,” said White in an email to Marianas Variety.
As New Zealand’s AVC instructor, Hercus explained the Sub Zonal phase’s importance and how to prepare correctly for the tournaments. Joining White at the seminar were Vanuatu’s Michael Masaufakalo and Samoa’s Alaivaa Potoi.
“The [seminar’s] agenda covered the basics on how to run a tournament through the guidance of the AVC Continental Beach Volleyball Cup Sub Zonal Tournament Competition Handbook, plus any other similar topic that was of great interest to the representatives,” said White. “As with any hosting of events, the only issues that we were all able to bring up during the seminar were that of logistics and financial issues.”
Overall, the CBVC forms part of the London 2012 Olympic Games qualifying process. The second Sub Zonal Tournament will be held by Vanuatu from May 17 to 21 and will be joined by teams from Fiji, Tuvalu, and the Solomon Islands. The third and final competition takes place at Apia, Samoa from May 25 to 27 and is joined by American Samoa, the Cook Islands, New Zealand, and Tonga. The NMIVA is now in the process of finalizing its CNMI-hosted games.
“Currently, NMIVA President Laurie Peterka and the NMIVA Board are working hard to solidify the ends of the regulations and obligations of our organizational efforts for the event. We’ve had a head start since September and NMIVA has received a lot of support from its stakeholders who want to be apart of this historic event. I mean historic because through the guidance of the Asian Volleyball Confederation and the Oceania Zonal Volleyball Association, NMIVA will follow through to ensure that the CNMI can host a great Olympic qualifying event – the first ever in the CNMI for a major international sport. This event will give the CNMI such amazing exposure on a global sport-tourism scale and more,” added White.
The CNMI, Guam, and Australia will have eight athletes – four men and four women (two teams per gender). Papua New Guinea and the FSM will have four – two men and two women (one team per gender).
“The positive outcomes of the seminar was learning and knowing more about the process of hosting international beach volleyball events on a more intimate level via the FIVB, AVC and OZVA. Also, that NMIVA has a solid link to the right people within all of the channels of the international governing body of volleyball to help develop the sport and receive a return for all of its investments,” said White. “My only concern about the upcoming AVC CBVC Sub Zonal Tournament is how all of the participating national team athletes from their respective countries and the global volleyball community will perceive the CNMI after the tournament is over – ‘Did NMIVA do a great job or not?’ ‘How much exposure did NMIVA create for the CNMI through this event?’ and so on.”
White left for New Zealand on Jan. 21 and returned to Saipan on Jan. 25.
