Graudiņa/Samoilova to open European Championship, Latvian men's pairs face each other

The Beach Volleyball European Championship runs from August 12-16 in Stare Jablonki, a village of about 700 people in northern Poland. It is the first time the event is held in Poland, though the town previously hosted the World Championship in 2013.

Latvia is represented by three pairs: Tīna Graudiņa/Anastasija Samoilova, Mārtiņš Pļaviņš/Kristians Fokerots, and Edgars Točs/Gustavs Auziņš. Top-seeded world champions Graudiņa and Samoilova open their campaign in Group A on Wednesday at 10:50, facing Estonia's Helēna Hollasa/Līsa Remmelga, a matchup the Latvians lead 4-0 in head-to-head meetings. Ukrainian and Spanish pairs also compete in the group.

Meanwhile, fourth-seeded Pļaviņš/Fokerots, placed in Group D, face fellow Latvians Točs/Auziņš on Wednesday at 14:30 — the pairs' first-ever meeting at international level. Their only previous encounter came a few weeks ago at the Latvian championship's Saulkrasti semifinal, where Pļaviņš/Fokerots won. Austrian and German pairs complete Group D.

In each group, the top three teams advance to the knockout stage, while group winners go straight into the round of 16. The eventual European champions will also secure a quota spot for the 2028 Olympic Games.

A day before the tournament began, Graudiņa/Samoilova and Pļaviņš/Fokerots climbed to second place in the world rankings. This will be Graudiņa/Samoilova's tenth consecutive European Championship, Pļaviņš's 13th appearance overall, Točs's sixth, Fokerots's third, while Auziņš will make his debut. Prize money has stayed largely unchanged since 2007, with the winners set to receive 20,000 euros.