Latvian Volleyball Federation explains its €700,000 beach volleyball budget
After criticism from beach volleyball world champion Anastasija Samoilova, the Latvian Volleyball Federation has broken down how its roughly €700,000 annual beach volleyball budget is composed, with most of it going toward hosting major tournaments rather than direct athlete support.
The Latvian Volleyball Federation (LVF) has given the sports portal Sportacentrs.com a detailed breakdown of its beach volleyball program budget, which it estimates at around €700,000 per year on average. The explanation follows a public exchange with world champion beach volleyball player Anastasija Samoilova, who wrote on social media that beach volleyball athletes receive little more than uniforms and a handful of balls from the federation, while most attention and resources go to indoor volleyball.
Where the money goes
In the LVF's 2026 budget plan, the largest single item is the Jūrmala Beach Pro Tour Futures tournament, Latvia's only stop on the world tour, at €275,000. Next comes organizing the national championship "DEPO Open," held across four stages plus a final in Riga, at €115,000, of which €35,500 was distributed as prize money to athletes. Beach volleyball national teams received €90,000, while the national youth championship was allocated €65,000. Total listed expenses in the plan reach €689,000.
National team funding
In 2025, national team expenses reached €132,000 while revenues were €84,000, coming mainly from international federation support and participation fees. The largest expense category was coaching salaries, at €48,600.
The LVF notes that direct state support for elite athletes mainly flows through the Latvian Olympic Committee rather than the federation's own budget. Compared with other European volleyball federations, Latvia devotes about 25% of its total budget to beach volleyball, more than Slovenia but less than Switzerland. In 2026, the LVF is set to receive €332,000 in state funding as one of the priority-supported sports federations, a status partly earned through the international achievements of its beach volleyball athletes.
