Wagrain-Kleinarl, Austria, March 29, 2019 – Stefan Passrugger, the CEO of the Tourist Office of Wagrain-Kleinarl, told fivb.com how proud he was that this beautiful region in the Austrian Alps is hosting the first event on the inaugural 2019 FIVB Snow Volleyball World Tour.
“Together with Martin Kaswurm from Chaka2 we have been organizing snow volleyball events on top of the ski area here since 2008. We love snow volleyball, because it creates such a nice atmosphere, almost like beach volleyball in the summer,” Passrugger said. “Our guests are really satisfied to see these events. They are excited to alternate between skiing and watching snow volleyball for an awesome day spent in our ski area at Snow Space Salzburg.”
Wagrain-Kleinarl is well known as the birthplace of snow volleyball as a professional sport. The first tournament was held near the Flying Mozart mountain station in 2009 and through the years the event has grown to being a regular stop on the European Tour, to hosting the first FIVB Volleyball Your Way Snow Festival and the first CEV European Championship, to welcoming the first FIVB Snow Volleyball World Tour event.
“When we started it, we simply thought snow volleyball was a fun idea for a leisure activity on the snow, but Martin Kaswurm wanted to push it bigger and bigger. He had the right people in the right place at the right time and you see how big it has become now. Snow volleyball has grown so fast and so big that now the idea of making it an Olympic sport seems quite interesting to everybody,” Passrugger continued.
“Last year we hosted the first European Championship and now we are holding the first World Tour event. We have a fantastic centre court with tribunes for several hundred spectators! It is really an amazing event for both our guests and the residents of Wagrain-Kleinarl and you will see how many people will come to watch the games over the weekend. We are very proud to host this event in our region,” the CEO pointed out.
“It is very possible that snow volleyball also grows as a popular après ski activity for the tourists visiting the ski resorts,” Stefan Passrugger added, with a look into the future. “Why not set up some courts near the youth hotels, where people can play in the afternoon or in the evening...”
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