SIZZLIN' LAUNCH (from left): Joel Garner of the National Sports Council; BVA official Kenmore Bynoe; organiser Paul White of Leisure Entertainment, and Winston Carter, acting manager, sports tourism, at the BTA, at the launch of the Sizzlin' Sands Beach Volleyball Barbados Sunsplash series.

by KIRK CORBIN

Today the region, tomorrow the world!

With numbers and interest in the Sizzlin' Sands Beach Volleyball Tour growing steadily, organiser Paul White is urging potential stakeholders to take the event beyond the region.

"This event is world class and we will be taking it to the world. Rather than them bringing an event to us, we will be taking an event to them and we encourage everyone to be a part of that movement," he said at the launch of the Barbados leg of the tour, dubbed "Barbados Sunsplash", slated for tomorrow and Sunday at Brandon's Beach, St Michael.

The launch was held yesterday at Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA) headquarters at Harbour Road.

The "movement", according to White, has seen beach volleyball virtually assume a life of its own, which can be attributed to the appeal of its being marketed in a Caribbean package.

He also revealed that plans were ongoing to expand the event once again, after challenges with sponsorship forced the organisers to reduce this year's series to just Antigua and Barbados.

"This year, because of the constraints of getting the sponsorship to cover all the events that we really wanted to do, we've had to cut back. Therefore, we decided if we were going to cut back we were going to do the two biggest events within our series," White explained.

However, organisers have been in discussion with the Jamaica Volleyball Association and Guadeloupe to have a series hosted in those countries next year. In addition, organisers were seeking to have events in Trinidad and Florida once again, and St Martin has expressed an interest in hosting an event.

The number of participating teams in this weekend's event has already surpassed the 25-team record set at the Antigua series, with about 30 teams alone coming from overseas.

Entries have been confirmed from Guadeloupe, Martinique, Antigua, Jamaica, Canada, Puerto Rico, St. Kitts and Trinidad and Tobago. Of note, White said, is the increased interest by the French-speaking Caribbean nations.

The programme is to be held over two days instead of three because there will be night matches for the first time.

White stressed the need for more corporate support, saying they needed partners as opposed to sponsors.

"A partner would help you develop an idea, a project. They would work with you side by side, hand in hand, and they would be there in the good times and in the bad times," he said.

Registration closes today at 8 p.m. at Weiser's on Brandon's Beach.