World's Top Beach Volleyball Stars Converge For The ASICS World Series Of Beach Volleyball July 22-28, On NBC, NBC Sports Network, And Universal Sports Network

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. and NEW YORK, May 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The world's best professional beach volleyball players will descend on Long Beach, Calif., July 22-28 for the ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball.  The event is the first Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) sanctioned Grand Slam tournament in the United States since 2003, and will include the inaugural ASICS World Series Cup, a special competition that will feature the top U.S. men's and women's teams competing against the best teams from around the world.  NBC, NBC Sports Network and Universal Sports Network will provide more than 20 hours of programming of the competitions, including telecasts of the men's and women's Grand Slam finals and ASICS World Series Cup Finals.   

Coverage begins Thursday, July 25 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network with women's Grand Slam quarterfinal competitions, and will continue through the weekend. The World Series Cup Women's Finals will air Saturday, July 27 at 4 p.m. ET on NBC, with the Men's Finals airing Sunday, July 28 at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBC. In addition to programming on NBC and NBC Sports Network, Universal Sports Network will also provide more than 13 hours of coverage of the event.

NBC Sports Group, the FIVB, USA Volleyball and Management Plus Enterprises are partnering on the event, which will offer more than $500,000 in total prize money.  In addition to title sponsor ASICS, Bud Light, Paul Mitchell, Sabra, Barefoot Wine, Nestea and Mikasa have also signed on as sponsors.

The ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball will be part of the prestigious FIVB annual World Tour, which features 10 Grand Slam events as well as the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships. It is the 10th FIVB event ever held in the United States, the fifth in Southern California and the first since the World Tour visited Southern California in 2003.

"The ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball will be an extraordinary beach volleyball and beach culture experience," said event creator and promoter Leonard Armato.  "Not only will we have the best players in the world competing as they did in the Olympic Games, but we will go beyond that by incorporating the highest level of four-person and six-person beach volleyball. Finally, we will also be integrating a beach music festival throughout the event."

"We are excited to bring an officially sanctioned FIVB event back to the United States for the first time in almost ten years," said Rob Simmelkjaer, Senior Vice President, NBC Sports Ventures and International. "Beach volleyball was tremendously successful during the 2012 London Olympics, and the ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball will be a compelling event."

"We are very pleased to return to the traditional home of beach volleyball in the United States and California," FIVB President Ary Graca said. "The ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball Long Beach will be one of ten Grand Slam events for what will be a dynamic beach volleyball season that reaches all the major volleyball countries of the world, ensuring beach volleyball has a global presence and bright future. We are also excited to have NBC, NBC Sports Network, and Universal Sports as our telecast partners and look forward to working together as we did at the Olympic Games where beach volleyball was such a resounding success."

"We as co-creator are thrilled to be a part of this amazing event and since ASICS is a passionate and authentic brand in the sport of volleyball it makes perfect sense for ASICS to be title sponsor of this leading volleyball tournament," commented Kevin Wulff, ASICS America Group President and CEO.  "ASICS mantra is to 'Better your Best' and this event brings together the top volleyball players in the world to compete and only those who Better their Best will claim victory."

"USA Volleyball is very pleased that an FIVB Beach Volleyball Grand Slam Event will be returning to the United States for the first time since 2003," said USA Volleyball Chief Executive Officer Doug Beal. "The partnership that has been forged between the FIVB, Management Plus Enterprises and NBC Sports Group creates a dynamic showcase for beach volleyball to a global audience."

--NBC SPORTS GROUP--

SOURCE FIVB