SINGAPORE : It is a game that is usually associated with the hip and fun crowd.
But now, the Volleyball Association of Singapore (VAS) wants to reach out to more Singaporeans by introducing a beach volleyball court right in the heartlands of Clementi.
For a start, the VAS kicked off its first Beach Volleyball Open at Sentosa.
Held over two weekends, the tournament attracted a total of 29 teams,
as the final 12 teams vied for the $1,000 top prize on Saturday.
In the women's finals, the pair from Team Ax proved too strong to win the title and prize.
Ms Angelina Scanlon, Champion Team of VAS Beach Volleyball Open 2005, said: "I think it is hard because the opponent really pushed us. It is going to be really hard to keep the title, we will try our best."
The men's category was won by a team called Thai-Sing.
It was aptly named as the winning pair comprised Singaporean Melvin Tan and his Thai partner Chinnakorn Lintharaphet.
But the popularity of the Sentosa event is only a prelude of things to come as the organisers embark on bringing the beach and fun to the heartlands.
Mr Arthur Fong, President of VAS, said: "We have beach volleyball coming on in the heartlands. And actually I might want to blow some trumpet here because the first beach volleyball at the heartlands in Clementi will come on stream this year. And also I hear that Singapore Polytechnic, including their sports centre, will also have a beach volleyball court."
And beach volleyball players can look forward to competing beyond Singapore's shores. It has been revealed that the VAS has been invited by Indonesia to join its league. - CNA/de
