Vlas Larkin was organizer of the LifeStyle Russian Open Beach Volleyball Open tournament and is director of the Russian Beach Volleyball Council. He has taken an active role in promoting the sport in Russia.

He spoke to LifeStyle after last week's beach volley championships. (See more on the tournament on Page 13.)

Could you tell us how you created this championship?

The game has huge potential in Russia since it is a natural game for Russians during their summer vacations. Earlier this year, we met Ajay Goyal, the owner of LifeStyle, and he gave us the funding and full support to organize this event. This is how the Russian Beach Volleyball Open was born.

We needed funds for many things, including cleaning the park, and – thanks to LifeStyle – we can now say that we will see this sport really get going in Russia.

What is the status of beach volleyball in Russia? How many people play it? Is there any national team?

Beach volley came to Russia in the late 1980s and started really becoming popular in 1998 and 1999 after the FIVB World Tours took place in Moscow. We had the challenge of organizing these events and, ever since, we have kind of seen beach volley as "our" sport. To attain this goal, we organize tournaments that allow amateur and pro players to get playing experience.

This year, tournaments were held nearly every weekend since the middle of May in various beaches in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

The number of professional and amateur players is growing each year. Now more than 300 teams are regularly training and playing as professionals.

Beach volley is an Olympic sport, and our players are well represented in international competitions. At the last World Championships, the Russian team took ninth place, which was very good. Our juniors are the European Champions. In our current competitions, the best Russian players, including the Olympic team, took part.

Is there any expatriate participation?

Yes, some people are coming and playing as amateurs. Beach volley is a sport for which you don't need special equipment, only the desire to play. And as this sport is very exciting, people come to enjoy it and play more often. We welcome everyone.

Has the major sponsor being LifeStyle – an English-language publication – helped attract more participants and fans, including expats?

Yes, many people called us and asked if they could participate after reading LifeStyle announcements, especially expats living in Moscow. We think we have a perfect partnership with LifeStyle.

What are your plans for next year?

We plan to continue to promote beach volley with LifeStyle, even taking it to other Russian cities, organizing some tournaments on the international level and some pro- and amateur tournament series.

And so that the winter will not be lost to the sport, we plan to make a winter beach volley stadium. This will be the only such place in Russia – and I think the only one in all of Eastern Europe.

Our hope is to make the LifeStyle Beach Volley Mixed Russian Open one of the biggest tournaments of its kind in Russia.

Are any other interesting sports activities planned?

Yes, we are working in many other areas, such as golf. We are hoping LifeStyle will help us announce our projects and activities.

What kind of problems did you face and why was Troparevo chosen for this tournament?

Well, we could have organized this event at any of the dozen or so beaches in Moscow. But LifeStyle put some very tough conditions on us. And I think they were right to do so. They wanted the beaches to be cleaned up, grass to be cut, proper stands to be placed and that there be a good view and entertainment to public.

LifeStyle doesn't just give us the money to put up its banner. There were other events like one by Men's Health at Serebrenoy Bor. But Mr. Goyal rejected that place because there was wild grass there. In Troparevo, we worked with the administration and prepared the area professionally.

Who are the people you target for this sport?

This is a sport people not only watch, but almost everyone wants to participate in. Our audience is young, sporty and healthy people who have a balanced lifestyle. This is a physically challenging game that requires high standards of fitness. So I would say the fittest and finest young people in Russia will be attracted to this sport. As this championship showed, people do have interest in this sport – which proves there should be a great future for it here.