Delving into the digits of the Poreč Major

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Can Larissa and Talita win a second successive gold this year? Photocredit: Tomislav Moze.

If you’re like us and you can barely keep a lid on your enthusiasm ahead of next week’s Poreč Major – you’ll love these geeky facts and figures we’ve put together specially to mark one of Croatia’s biggest sporting event of the summer!

2 – Next week’s tournament will be the second we have held in this glorious beachside location. What do you mean you don’t remember?! Watch the video below to reacquaint yourselves.

64 – In total 64 teams will compete in matches in the Major’s main draw, 48 of which (24 men, 24 women) have automatically qualified with no need of playing a qualification match.

192 – The number of matches that will be played from Tuesday onwards, not including country quota games, throughout the week…that’s a lot of game time!

6 – The non-stop action will take place across six courts, including the centerpiece of Poreč, the magnificent Center Court, which is literally just a hop, step and jump from the warm waters of the Adriatic Sea.

5 – Last year five different countries won medals: Netherlands, Canada, Italy, Brazil and Australia. Canada won two – both silver. In the men’s tournament Dutch duo Alex Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen stood on top of the podium while Brazil’s Larissa and Talita pipped Heather Bansley and Sarah Pavan to Poreč’s top prize in the women’s competition.

6 – While the Poreč Major will be the first FIVB Tour Stop in Croatia of 2016, last year there were six held in the country – further highlighting the love of beach volleyball on these shores. Brazil and the United States have liked the Croatian sand the most, too – each winning three medals.

655 – Happy 347th and 308th anniversary everyone! Yep, the Poreč Major will be 347th men’s tournament in FIVB history and 308th women’s tournament. That’s a whopping 655 tournaments that have been held…now that’s what you call a lot of beach volleyball!

800,000 – The total prize fund in US Dollars up for grabs, split 50/50 between the genders. The gold medalists share USD 57,000 each. Even those teams who compete in the Pool Play receive a minimum USD 4,000. Not bad, huh?

400 – That’s the amount of ranking points the winning team will receive. If you compete in qualification but fall at the final hurdle teams still net 80 ranking points.

4 – Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst are chasing a fourth successive tournament victory and their second successive Major title. The in-form German girls not only won the smart Major Hamburg on home sand but also the European Championships and Olsztyn Grand Slam. It’s fair to say they will be in red hot form in Poreč.