All international pro beach volleyball roads will again lead to Rome as the iconic Italian capital hosts an FIVB competition for the fifth consecutive year. Rome will host a double-gender Grand Slam for the fourth successive year as the 2013 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour is in the Eternal City from June 19 to 23.

Rome first hosted a men’s only event in 2009 before combining for a double gender Grand Slam since, including a truly magnificent FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in 2011. In addition to being the fourth women’s event in Rome, this year’s tournament will be the 12th FIVB women’s tournament held in Italy. In last year’s women’s Grand Slam gold medal finale, Switzerland’s Simone Kuhn/Nadine Zumkehr stopped Germany’s Sara Goller/Laura Ludwig. Winning last year’s women’s bronze was USA’s Jennifer Kessy/April Ross. The Italian capital hosted its first women’s World Tour event in 2010 when USA’s Kessy/Ross won the women’s Grand Slam title on the Foro Italico centre court.
In the amazing 2011 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships Brazil’s Juliana Felisberta Silva/Larissa França outlasted USA’s Misty May-Treanor/Kerri Walsh to earn the gold medal and China’s Chen Xue/Xi Zhang captured the bronze medal. In addition to being the fifth men’s event in Rome, this year’s tournament will be the 19th FIVB men’s tournament held in Italy. In last year’s men’s Grand Slam finale, USA’s Jake Gibb/Sean Rosenthal upset reigning world champions Alison Cerutti/Emanuel Rego to qualify for the Olympic Games.
The Italian capital hosted its first men’s World Tour event in 2009 when Germany’s Julius Brink/Jonas Reckermann won the men’s Open title on the Foro Italico center court. But in 2010 the tournament was upgraded to a Grand Slam. USA’s Todd Rogers/Phil Dalhausser won, fighting off Brazil’s Alison/Emanuel as the Spanish duo Pablo Herrera and Adrian Gavira secured third.
But Alison and Emanuel did the ultimate in 2011, clinching the World Championship title with a victory over Marcio Araujo/Ricardo Santos in the gold medal match while Germany’s Brink/Reckermann took home bronze.