Last week, the men`s Warsaw Futures tournament of the Beach Pro Tour in Poland saw the entire podium claimed by teams benefiting from the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program. The Lithuanian duo, Arnas Rumsevicius and Karolis Palubinskas, secured their inaugural gold medal on the Beach Pro Tour. For 20-year-old Palubinskas, this marked his first-ever Tour medal. The Ukrainian pair Anton Moiseiev and Vitalii Savvin, along with the Estonian team Mart Tiisaar and Dimitriy Korotkov, completed the podium, taking silver and bronze respectively.
Lithuania`s Road to Gold
The Lithuanian Volleyball Federation`s beach volleyball division has received substantial support from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment, totaling USD 477,000 for coaching national beach duos and an additional USD 12,000 for national team coach development knowledge transfer programs. Lithuania`s men`s teams train under coach Gytis Garbaciauskas. Rumsevicius and Palubinskas, seeded fourth, began the Polish tournament with a loss to Tiisaar and Korotkov. However, they quickly found their stride, securing five consecutive victories to claim the Warsaw Futures championship. In their semifinal, the Lithuanians narrowly defeated Czech qualifiers Krystof Jan Oliva and Vaclav Kurka 2-0 (22-20, 24-22). The final saw them achieve a walkover victory against Moiseiev and Savvin, who withdrew due to injury. While this Warsaw gold marked Palubinskas`s debut medal on the Beach Pro Tour, his 30-year-old teammate Rumsevicius had previously earned a bronze with a different partner.
Ukraine`s Impressive Performance
Since 2022, the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment program has consistently supported the Ukraine Volleyball Federation, enabling the continuation of its volleyball and beach volleyball activities. Under an ongoing Memorandum of Understanding, a total of USD 670,000 has been allocated. Prior to withdrawing from the gold medal match in Warsaw, the Ukrainian duo showcased remarkable performance, not dropping a single set across six matches from qualifications to the semifinals. They secured a dramatic 2-0 (25-23, 23-21) victory over Tiisaar and Korotkov in the semifinals, assuring themselves of at least a silver medal. For the 20-year-old Moiseiev and 21-year-old Savvin, this marked their second Tour podium, following their silver at Marica Futures last December.
Estonia`s Breakthrough
The Estonian Volleyball Federation has received USD 168,000 from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment to support coaches for their national teams, currently overseen by Beijing 2008 Olympian Rivo Vesik. Additionally, Estonian beach volleyball has been supplied with USD 11,500 worth of equipment through the same program. The 13th-seeded duo, Tiisaar and Korotkov, reached the semifinals with a three-match winning streak. After a close defeat to the Ukrainians, the Estonians rallied to secure a hard-fought 2-1 (21-19, 20-22, 15-13) victory over Oliva and Kurka in the third-place match, earning their first Beach Pro Tour medal as a pair.
The men`s Warsaw Futures tournament featured 27 male duos from 17 different federations.
The women`s Warsaw Futures event is scheduled for this week, from September 11 to 14.
