Qualification for the multi-sport event in the Azerbaijani capital was determined by the European rankings, and the host nation will be represented by two men's and two women's pairs.

That is also the case for several other countries in the men's event, including current Olympic men's champions Germany, bronze medallists Latvia, Austria, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, Russia and Turkey.

In the women's competition Austria, Azerbaijan, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Spain , Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine will all be represented.

A specially constructed temporary facility will host beach volleyball at the European Games ©Baku 2015

"Beach volleyball is a modern Olympic discipline gaining more and more in popularity every year, making it a perfect fit for the first European Games," Simon Clegg, chief operating officer of Baku 2015, said.

"Our aim at Baku 2015 is to inspire young Europeans and bring the continent together in a great celebration of sport."

The sport is due to take place at The Beach Arena, a temporary facility that volleyball will share with beach football.

Both sports will use surrounding courts to the main arena for competition.

The main beach arena will hold a capacity of nearly 3,900 spectators for the event.

Beach volleyball is one of the sports at the European Games which offers teams the chance to earn vital qualification points for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games ©Getty Images









Beach volleyball, which will feature 64 pairs of athletes, is one of 18 sports on the programme for Europe's first-ever continental games, and Baku 2015 director of sport Pierce O'Callaghan is hoping it can continue to grow, using the event as a platform to reach more fans across the continent.

"The European Games will allow beach volleyball to gain new fans in Azerbaijan and across Europe," he said.

"I am sure that the sport will be a major attraction at Baku 2015."

The beach volleyball competitions, scheduled to take place June 16 to 21, are expected to be extremely competitive as teams will have the opportunity to earn crucial ranking points ahead of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro next year.

"The European Volleyball Confederation welcomes the announcement of the teams qualified for Baku 2015, and we look forward to what will be a fantastic celebration of sport this summer," European Volleyball Confederation President André Meyer added.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
May 2014: Next step taken on road to Baku 2015 as qualification process unveiled