Young Volleyball players take Ljubljana by storm
News
From January 9 to 11, Ljubljana was alive with the spirit of Volleyball. The 12th edition of the annual Ljubljana Open once again proved to be one of the premier sporting events for young players in the region. This year’s tournament brought together 74 teams from four countries – Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia – across five competition categories. In total, more than 950 young athletes flooded the Volleyball courts of the Slovenian capital.
The excitement peaked over the weekend as seven venues provided the ideal stage for a true Volleyball marathon. Across a record-breaking 16 courts, more than 200 matches were played, thereby showcasing impressive performances, fierce competitiveness, passionate cheering, and exceptional sportsmanship.
In the Junior category, featuring eight teams, OK Novi Grad Sarajevo from Bosnia and Herzegovina claimed the top spot. The silver medal went to the local favourites, VOLLEYBALLjubljana, while third place was secured by the Croatian side ŽOK Pazin.
Among the twelve teams in the U17 category, the Slovenian team Radol’ca Volley emerged victorious. They were followed by VOLLEYBALLjubljana 1 in second place and Vital Ljubljana 1, who took home the bronze.
The U15 category saw 16 teams battle for the title, and the victory went to OTP Banka Branik Maribor. Croatia’s OK Vodnjan finished in second place, while OK Formis rounded out the podium with a third-place finish.
The U13 category was the most competitive in terms of numbers, featuring no less than 24 teams. The gold medal was won by Vital modre, with OK Vodnjan 2 taking second and VOLLEYBALLjubljana 1 finishing third.
In a special combined category consisting of 14 teams, OK Sloga from Bosnia and Herzegovina took home the trophy. Radol’ca Volley finished in second place, and Vital Ljubljana 1 secured the third place.
The tournament was held in conjunction with the highly successful CEV School Project ‘Play Volleyball – Grow with it’, which has been running in Slovenia with much success since the fall of 2018.