The U21 Men’s Volleyball Pan American Cup will be coming to our community from May 16 to 21, 2017.
The Pan-Am Cup features some of the world’s best teams including Brazil, Argentina, Cuba, Canada, and the United States and will offer two spots to the 2017 FIVB U21 World Championships in the Czech Republic.
“This is a very important tournament for several reasons. Not only will this event provide a ticket to the Worlds for two teams – with Canada in the mix – but also this is the first international sporting event held in Fort McMurray since the devastating fire last year,” explained Alan Ahac, Volleyball Canada Director of International Events. “Having a major event will certainly contribute to the re-building process and we’re looking forward to hosting our teams from across the Americas to showcase this region of Alberta.”
The United States and Argentina have both qualified for the World Championships from previous qualifying events.
In 2015, the U21 Pan Am Cup was held in Gatineau, Quebec and the Canadians won bronze with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Chile, while the Brazilians beat the Americans in straight sets.
“This is a great opportunity for our community to play host to an international sporting event and highlight the best of our region,” said Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Mayor Melissa Blake. “We look forward to welcoming athletes and coaches from across the Americas and hope you enjoy your stay with us.”
The round-robin portion of the tournament will take place from May 16 to 18, with the playoffs taking center stage on May 19 to 21.
All the action will take place at the home of the Keyano Huskies at the Syncrude Sport & Wellness Center.
“We are pleased to welcome Volleyball Canada and the other nations to Fort McMurray this May,” said Jean-Marc Guillamot, Chair of the Board for Fort McMurray Tourism. “We are proud to let the sport world know that Fort McMurray is open for business and showcase all that the Wood Buffalo region has to offer for sport events, sport-related meetings and training camps.”
In 2016, Volleyball Canada donated $10,000 to the Red Cross fire relief when they hosted one of their National events in Edmonton.
“Now we’re very pleased to continue to support the area by showcasing the next generation of athletes in an action-packed format in Fort McMurray,” said Ahac. “We are also excited to be working with the local organizing committee, volleyball community and volunteers to make this event a success.”
The U21 Pan-Am Cup will also be live streamed via webcast on CBC Sports.
