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sports Diasabra 7 Mei 2022

AVP beach volleyball returns, with more events and new teams

(AP) - The AVP is heading Cheng in Tokyo, is now with
back to the beach with a Terese Cannon.
bunch of new teams and a
lot more tournaments for Four-time Olympians Phil
them to figure things out. Dalhausser and Jake Gibb
both retired after Tokyo,
The domestic beach volley- leaving partners Nick Lucena
ball tour season opens this and Taylor Crabb to find new
weekend in Austin, Texas, mates.
emerging from the pandemic
with its longest and most lu- “Our U.S. men were pretty
crative schedule in more than old, kind of toward the end
a decade. The 16-tournament of their careers. We knew
slate and total prize money of that after this Olympics a
$2 million are both the most lot of things were going to
since 2009. change,” said Crabb, who
never got out of quarantine
“I’m so thankful that we in Tokyo because of a posi-
have so many tournaments, tive COVID-19 test. “I think
and I’m ready to rock and it’s great for the sport — it’s
roll,” Tokyo Olympian Kelly exciting for the sport — that
Cheng said this week. “I’m there’s this new generation
blown away. It’s been hard that’s battling it out for the
financially the last few years. top spot now.”
I’m so thankful to be able to switches, especially after an seven or eight tournaments
compete.” After qualifying for Tokyo “We’re one of the few teams Olympic year,” Hughes said. a year under owner Donald
with Gibb, Crabb is now with that’s sticking together,” “There’s always something Sun before the pandemic
After the usual post-Olympic Taylor Sander. Tri Bourne, Bourne said. “There’s an ad- getting mixed up. I’m really struck. It held three tour-
partner-switching, all four of who subbed for Crabb as vantage there, for sure. There excited for my new partner- naments in each of the last
the U.S. teams that compet- Gibb’s Olympic partner, re- will be some different looks ship and what we have going two years, with a single-site
ed in the Tokyo Games have sumes his partnership with and people trying to do some so far. It’s a new opportunity bubble on three consecutive
shuffled things up (though Trevor Crabb, Taylor’s older new things, but it definitely for everyone to get better.” weekends in 2020.
gold medalists April Ross and brother. takes some time to get used
Alix Klineman are planning to a new partner.” Also finding a new partner: “We haven’t had a full sched-
to reconnect when Klineman They’re the top-seeded the AVP itself. The tour was ule in a long time,” Bourne
recovers from shoulder sur- men’s team in Austin. The Sara Hughes and Kelley Ko- bought by Bally Sports last said. “For a lot of us players,
gery). No. 1 seed on the women’s linske, another new Ameri- year, a deal that could bring playing on the domestic tour
side is another legacy part- can pairing, won the Itape- stability to the circuit that is the most fun. The world
Cheng actually has two new nership, Canadians Sarah ma Challenge in Brazil last has gone through two bank- tour is a completely different
partners: The former Kelly Pavan and Melissa Humana- month in just their third ruptcies and struggled to beast; it’s a great challenge in
Claes got married this year, Paredes, who won the 2019 tournament together. capitalize on the quadrennial a different way. But having
and on the sand she is teamed World Championships but Olympic bump. a full schedule and kicking
up with Betsi Flint. Sarah lost in the quarterfinals at the “In our sport, it’s very natu- things off here in Austin, it’s
Sponcil, who played with Tokyo Games. ral to have a lot of partner It was dependably staging exciting.”

3m ticket requests for World Cup final; 1.4m for England-US

(AP) - FIFA has received day at the 60,000-capacity Al to allocate tickets for matches websites show no capac-
3 million ticket requests The data revealed to The As- Bayt Stadium. where the demand exceeds ity on the open market for
for the World Cup final in sociated Press by FIFA shows capacity. the nights of Nov. 25 and 26
Qatar and high demand to there have been 2.5 million Overall for the Nov. 21- The significant number of around the Argentina-Mexi-
attend some of its biggest ticket requests to see Argen- Dec. 18 tournament, there ticket requests could reflect co and England-U.S. games.
group-stage games, even tina play Mexico on Nov. 26 have been more than 2 mil- the desire to watch more than There was also no availability
as issues linger about the at the 80,000-capacity Lusail lion ticket requests from the one match a day with fans showing on the official World
tiny Persian Gulf nation’s Stadium, and 1.4 million fans U.S., England and Qatar af- looking to fill time between Cup accommodation website
ability to accommodate hope to see England face the ter the second phase of sales. watching their own country in hotels, apartments, villas
fans. United States the previous A random draw will be used by attending other games in or on the cruise ships dock-
a country where all stadiums ing in Qatar for the tourna-
are within an hour’s travel ment.
by public transport from the
heart of Doha. There is also no apparent
availability to stay in Doha on
With all stadiums built the night of the Dec. 18 final
around the capital, the tour- at Lusail, the stadium which
nament lacks the variety of is yet to stage a test-event
tourist attractions compared match.
to recent World Cups in Bra-
zil and Russia. More than 23 There have been 3 million
million ticket request have ticket requests for the final
been received overall by despite prices rising up to
FIFA. 46% from the cost for inter-
national fans to attend the
Accommodating visitors is 2018 final won by France in
also challenging given how Moscow, with the most ex-
small the country is with pensive tickets at 5,850 Qa-
most hotels built around tari riyals ($1,607).
Doha. Hotel aggregation