The Australian Beach Volleyball Tour (ABVT) is set to return in 2022, bringing together Australia’s best beach volleyball players on Australia’s best beaches.

The ABVT will highlight what is set to be Australia’s biggest summer of beach volleyball, with 89 events scheduled on the state and national calendar, and providing the perfect lead in to the upcoming Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The first round of ABVT will be held at Thompsons Beach in Victoria, before heading north to Mollymook Beach (NSW) for the first time in ABVT history.

The Australian Championships will double as round three and is set to be held at Sydney’s iconic Manly beach before the tour wraps up at Coolangatta on the Gold Coast.

The ABVT will provide the perfect platform for VA’s high-performance athletes preparing for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, and an opportunity for Australia’s beach volleyball community to reunite after another challenging 12 months.

Headlining the ABVT will be Gold Coast 2018 silver medalists Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar, who will compete for the first time since winning silver at the Tokyo Olympic Games, offering Aussies fans the opportunity to see them in action.

Tokyo Olympian and Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Chris McHugh is looking forward to being back on the beach again this summer.

“It was great to be able to have a full domestic beach volleyball calendar last summer, and I’m looking forward to another year of Australian beach volleyball,” McHugh said.

“Coming off the back of the Tokyo Olympics, and leading into the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the ABVT will give us a good opportunity to match up against some of Australia’s best beach volleyball players.

“We’re lucky in our sport to be able to visit some pretty incredible locations, and to be able to have some of those in our own backyard, and get to play at them this summer is a great opportunity.”

Volleyball Australia CEO Andrew Dee said despite having to postpone some earlier legs of the tour, VA have been working tirelessly to ensure that the ABVT can go ahead.

“The ABVT has become a hallmark series on the Australian volleyball calendar, with players from right across the country taking part,” Dee said.

“We are committed to working with local governments, health providers and venues on Australia’s most iconic beaches to ensure the ABVT can be enjoyed in a safe environment.

“The 2022 ABVT will also be the last chance for our high performance athletes to play in a home series before they head to the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

“After a great summer of domestic beach volleyball last summer, I look forward to bringing the ABVT back to our community in 2022.”

The Australian Beach Volleyball Tour will take place over four rounds this summer, kicking off in February.

Round 1

Cobram-Barooga Classic, Thompsons Beach (VIC)

4 – 6 February 2022

Round 2

Mollymook Beach, Mollymook (NSW)

18 – 20 February 2022

Round 3

Australian Championships, Manly (NSW)

4 – 6 March 2022

Round 4

ABVT Finals, Coolangatta Beach (QLD)

25 – 27 March 2022