Children participate in the Volleyball Your Way festival in Betim
Betim, Brazil, October 24, 2016 - During the two final days of action at the FIVB Volleyball Men's Club World Championship in Betim, local children joined in the fun at a two-day Volleyball Your Way festival held alongside the elite tournament.
The festival took place on Saturday and Sunday ahead of the first World Championship matches of the day, with indoor activities on the first day and beach volleyball action on day two, just outside the Ginásio Divino Braga World Championship venue.
Almost 200 local boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 14 were gathered for the festival to enjoy consecutive mornings of volleyball and to see their idols play at the world's top competition for men's club teams. Dressed in the yellow festival t-shirts, they then got a chance to meet players for photos and autographs that will remain as lifetime souvenirs of the event.
Giuliano Sucupira, a local teacher in charge of the festival this year and also in 2015, said: "It was really a volleyball party; it was very satisfying to see so many kids enjoying and being the true main actors of the event.
"For people like us who love volleyball, it's truly rewarding to watch the kids having fun and smiling with our sport. Hopefully we can accomplish having new youngsters playing volleyball and keeping the ones that already play captivated by the sport."