🏐 Canary Wharf is all set to welcome beach volleyball stars from around the world. Queen & King of the Court London Showcase is the first major international volleyball competition staged in the capital since London 2012. Spectating is free!
Canada Square is the place to be for inaugural Queen and King of the Court (QKOTC) London Showcase taking place on Friday 20th and Saturday 21 September. World-class beach volleyball athletes, including Paris 2024 Olympians and are very own Bello Brothers, are set to battle it out in the heart of the city.
Spectators can enjoy some serious beach vibes in a party-like atmosphere with a live DJ in attendance. Food and drinks will be available. Both days are free to attend – what’s not to like!
COMPETITION FORMAT
A total of 10 female and 10 male teams will contest the event. It’s played over a high-octane knockout format to bring out the players’ very best skills.
Originally a popular training format, QKOTC has developed into an official new beach volleyball competition. The court is divided into a winning and challenging side, with points are scored only on the queen/king side.
Instead of two teams, there are five duos playing simultaneously in an elimination game, and a break between rallies of just eight seconds ensures a fast and action-packed experience.
The event has attracted some of the star pairs who recently competed in the Paris 2024 Olympics, together with home-grown talent to help the development of the next generation of English and GB players.
COMPETITION TIMINGS
The action starts on Friday evening with a women’s and men’s semi-final from 4.30pm. Saturday morning from 9.30am features two more semi-finals and two play-offs ahead of the last of the semi-finals in the afternoon from 1.30pm. The women’s final and men’s final take place from 4pm.
READ ON for detailed session/semi-final timings, ‘Ones to Watch’, a full list of players taking part and travel tips 👇
INTERNATIONAL ‘ONES TO WATCH’
A host of global talent is taking part. Star names include Alexander Brouwer and Robin Sowa and Emilie Olimstad and Ingrid Lunde who were unveiled as the final pairings earlier this week.
Brouwer, 34, is an Olympic bronze medallist from Rio 2016 and a world champion from 2013. Brouwer is paired with Sowa, 21, who has enjoyed an excellent season on the Beach Pro Tour alongside regular partner Maximilian Just. Both Brouwer and Sowa played in the QKOTC Ultimate Mash Up in Utrecht earlier this month.
Olimstad, 23, had two top-five finishes at Beach Pro Tour Futures events last year in Warsaw and Haikou playing in tandem with Sunniva Helland-Hansen, who is also playing at the London Showcase alongside Marie-Sara Stochlova. Countrywoman Lunde, 32, is vastly experienced, with a wealth of Beach Pro Tour matches under her belt.
Also taking part is the highly-rated international star pairing of Marie-Sára Štochlová from Czechoslovakia and Norways’ Sunniva Helland-Hansen.
UK ‘ONES TO WATCH’
Twin brothers Javier and Joaquin Bello are among the headline acts. The No.1 British men’s team won the bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Ranked #22 in the world and fresh off a top-10 finish in the European Championships, they’ll be looking to impress in front of a home crowd. Also in the mix are rising GB men’s stars Freddie Bialokoz and Issa Batrane.
In the women’s draw the English-born American-based pair of Katie Keefe and Anaya Evans have travelled over 5,000 miles to take part, such is their commitment to play in a major home event. Scottish duo Katie Barbour and Rachel Morrison, who represented their country in the Nations Cup in Croatia in June, are also in the women’s draw.
QUEEN AND KING OF THE COURT LONDON – FULL LINE-UP
Women
Marie-Sára Štochlová (Czechia) and Sunniva Helland-Hansen (Norway)
Ieva Dumbauskaite and Gerda Grudzinskaite (Lithuania)
Alice Zeimann and Olivia MacDonald (New Zealand)
Tjaša Kotnik (Slovenia) and Leona Kernen (Switzerland).
Emilie Olimstad and Ingrid Lunde (Norway)
Anaya Evans and Katie Keefe (England)
Kirsty Star and Alice Jagielska (England)
Jess Grimson and Molly Quinn (England)
Katie Barbour and Rachel Morrison (Scotland)
Aga Adamek and Eszter Nagy (SideOut guest pair)
Men
Mees Sengers (The Netherlands) and Tim Brewster (USA)
Felix Friedl and Alexander Huber (Austrians)
Mart Tiisaar and Dmitri Korotkov (Estonia)
Hagen Smith and Logan Webber (USA)
Alexander Brouwer (The Netherlands) and Robin Sowa (Germany)
Javier and Joaquin Bello (England)
Freddie Bialokoz and Issa Batrane (England)
Enrique Bello and Josue Seekings (England)
Niko Gleed and Andrew van Rensburg (England)
Lewis Bunton and Bailey Harsum (England)
TICKETS, TIMINGS & TRAVEL – Queen and King of the Court London
🏐 Matches from 4.30pm on Friday, 9.30am on Saturday (morning session and 1.30pm (afternoon session) on Saturday. See above for full session timings.
Spectating is free! There is no need to register in advance, simply turn up and enjoy the action.
Travel tips: Canada Square is a short walk from Canary Wharf DLR station. Also close by are Canary Wharf stations on the Jubilee Line (tube) and Elizabeth Line (Crossrail) respectively. Plan your journey using the Transport for London website.
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