Osaka 2008 Women's Open May 20-25
After a two-year absence, Osaka returns to the SWATCH-FIVB World Tour calendar by staging its 13th event. Dubbed Japan’s “second city”, Osaka has hosted the most international Beach Volleyball stops since the start of the women’s FIVB circuit in 1992. The French Mediterranean port city of Marseille ranks second on the list with 10 events. Rio de Janeiro tops the men’s list with 14 SWATCH-FIVB World Tour events since the start of the men’s circuit in 1987. After teams from the United States and Australia combined to win the first three Osaka stops, Brazilian tandems have won the last nine events led by legendary pair of Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar. After placing third in 1997, Shelda and Adriana won six of the next eight Osaka events as the South Americans placed second in 2003 and third in 2005. Shaylyn Bede, Shelda’s younger sister, captured the 2005 Osaka gold medal with Ana Paula Connelly, who teamed with Sandra Pires to defeat Shelda and Adriana for the 2003 crown. The best finish by the host country was a silver medal in 2000 by Mika Teru Saiki and Yukiko Takahashi, who finished fourth at the Sydney Olympic Games for Japan. Osaka is one of nine new sites in 2008 on the SWATCH-FIVB World Tour calendar along with Adelaide (Australia), Guaruja (Brazil), Sanya (China), Prague (Czech Republic), Myslowice (Poland), Moscow (Russia), Barcelona (Spain) and Dubai (United Arab Emirates).
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