New courts for beach volleyball

Beach volleyball will stake out a permanent base when it officially takes possession of a 2000 square metre site for new courts on Monday.

Cook Islands Volleyball is leasing a piece of vacant land next to the tennis courts and opposite the Social Centre in Nikao.

Organiser Hugh Graham says there will be a ceremony at 4.30pm on Monday to turn the first sod on what will become two international sized courts, which are capable of serving as four domestic sized courts.

The volleyball association will bring in fine sand from Aroa for the new courts.

Graham, former vice-president of the Counties-Manukau Volleyball Assocation, says the sport of beach volleyball is booming throughout the world, and it was once a popular code in the Cook Islands. In 1998 a Cook Islands team won a bronze medal at the Oceania Championships, and two members of that team, Makea Pauka and Apera Pori, will be the guests of honour at Monday’s ceremony.

Sports Minister Mark Brown and Infrastructure Minister Teariki Heather will also attend.

The volleyball association is sending a two-person men’s team and a two-person women’s team to take part in the Pacific Games in New Caledonia, and will compete in Samoa next month at the Oceania qualifiers for the 2012 London Olympics.