Beach Volleyball stars awestruck after visiting iconic landmarks — Dubai Frame and Museum of the Future

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Volleyball World is bringing their beach volleyball Beach Pro Tour to iconic locations around the world, and this week several of the competing teams at the Challenge event in Dubai had the unique opportunity of visiting and striking a pose in front of two of the city’s most famous landmarks.

The second event on Kite Beach resumed on Thursday with fans able to watch some of the world’s best beach volleyball players free of charge at the beachside location.

To promote the event and further highlight the Beach Pro Tour's commitment to taking beach volleyball to iconic spots around the globe, athletes were photographed in front of the picturesque Dubai Frame and the Museum of the Future.

As the sun went down over the city, three players headed to the Dubai Frame. Elite 16 athlete and 2020 Olympic bronze medalist Anastasija Samoilova was joined by US team members Hailey Harward and Xolani Hodel. The trio were captured in several striking poses in front of the frame – the world’s largest at a height of 150.24 metres – during the golden hour.

When the day turned to night, two participating US teams were captured by one of Dubai’s most striking pieces of architecture — the Museum of the Future.

Evan Cory and Logan Webber – who reached the semi-finals and finished fourth in the first event – were joined by teammates Daehna Kraft and Savvy Simo in front of the awe-inspiring structure, which opened on February 22 this year.

"We’d like to thank Dubai Sports Council, the Dubai Frame, and the Museum of the Future authorities for giving us the opportunity to visit and photograph our athletes in front of these two celebrated Dubai landmarks," said Volleyball World Head of Hosting, Lara Marich.

"The Beach Pro Tour prides itself on taking its events and athletes to memorable locations around the world, and we are delighted that we could capture the unique essence of Dubai in these photo shoots."

The second event began with the qualification tournament on Thursday, with the main draw kicking off on Friday. The weekend is when the competition really hots up, with the elimination rounds, including the quarter-finals, taking place on Saturday. The event then reaches its climax on Sunday with the semi-finals and finals of both the men’s and women’s competitions.

Entry is free to the event, but those fans who cannot make it to Kite Beach can watch matches on Volleyball World TV until October 30 for free.

Volleyball World is a new partnership between the FIVB and CVC Capital Partners aimed at driving growth, innovation, and investment in volleyball around the globe.

Its goal is to create an integrated ecosystem connecting all volleyball stakeholders (fans, athletes, corporate partners) together through both digital and live events.

Volleyball World is responsible for the commercial operation of key volleyball and beach volleyball international events, including the World Championships, Volleyball Nations League, Olympic Qualifiers and Beach Pro Tour.