By Duncan Mackay

Beach volleyball London 2012June 3 - International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) President Ary Graça has expressed his disappointment that no major beach volleyball event will be played in London this year due to lack of sponsorship, even though the sport was one of the most popular events to be take place during last year's Olympics.


Volleyball England have finally conceded defeat after spending several months trying to raise commercial backing for the Women's World Tour Event, which was scheduled to take place between August 14 and 18. 

It follows the decision by Government funding agency last December to axe all financial support for Britain's indoor, sitting and men's beach volleyball programmes in the build-up to Rio 2016.

"You can imagine that after last year that I want to have a big tournament in England," Graça told insidethegames.

"I want to invest lots of money there but the Government don't want to support us.

"England is a very important market for us."

Ary Graça in front of FIVB logoFIVB President Ary Graça is disappointed that there will be no beach volleyball event in London this year, bemoaning the lack of support 

Volleyball England needed to raise £500,000 ($764,000/€588,000) to stage the event, but fell £350,000 ($535,000/€412,000) short of their target. 

Even a plan to hold the event at the Score Centre in Waltham Forest, instead of Horse Guards Parade, where the Olympic tournament took place, proved too costly. 

The World Tour event failed to meet the criteria for support set out by UK Sport, even though they are committed to investing £27 million ($41 million/€32 million) into their "Gold Event Series" which aims to bring 70 major tournaments to Britain between now and 2019.

"We've lost the opportunity to capitalise on London 2012," Richard Callicott, President of Volleyball England, told BBC Sport. 

"We did the business planning but it wasn't eligible for any grants from anywhere and there was too big a funding gap between expenditure and income."

But Callicott is hopeful that a solution can be found for next year. 

"Work has already started on 2014 and the FIVB are very supportive because they recognise how hard we've worked to make it happen," Callicott told BBC Sport.

Beach volleyball Horse Guards ParadeHosting beach volleyball at Horse Guards Parade was a major success during London 2012 but its cost is beyond the budget of Volleyball England

"The great difficulty with Horse Guards Parade is that although the venue would be wonderful and would love to take it there, the cost of putting it in is exceedingly high.

"We do have more than one major promoter interested [in a 2014 event] and I know from the crowds at London 2012 that there's public interest.

"We just need the commercial world to come on board and help us make this an event and sport of the future."

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