The 2005 FIVB World Tour will see the best beach volleyball players in the world battle it out for a share of the US$7,5 million (A$10 million) prize money in some of the globe’s most exotic beach volleyball locations, including St Petersburg in Russia and Qatar in the United Arab Emirates.

The nine-month 2005 season will feature a total of 32 events (17 men and 15 women tournaments), with the highlight being the US$1 million Swatch-FIVB World Championships in Berlin, where 48 men and 48 women will compete for beach volleyball’s highest honour.

The Tour will also include a three-leg Grand Slam starting in Norway in June, followed by a tournament in France in July and Austria in August.

A few events in the 2005 Calendar still need to be confirmed (Marseille and Rome) and the FIVB is still negotiating with some countries such as Sweden, Qatar, and Brazil for eventual additional events.

For the whole calendar go to http://www.fivb.org/EN/BeachVolleyball/Competitions/WorldTour/2005/Calendar2005.htm.

The 2006-2008 Tentative Calendars will be posted on the FIVB website at the end of January 2005.