After a long break of about a year and a half, an international Volleyball competition is taking place this week in Luxembourg with as many as eight teams coming together in the capital of the Grand Duchy as action continues in the 2021 edition of the CEV European Silver League.
Luxembourg team captain Gilles Braas in action during the match of the ‘Red Lions’ against Hungary (picture courtesy of media4all)
The iconic d’Coque has been playing host to international Volleyball events for many years – but the last time such a competition had taken place here goes back to January 2020, with the latest edition of the annual Novotel Cup.
The coronavirus pandemic has been responsible for such a long break and the Silver League matches coincided not only with the return of elite Volleyball, but also with the very first international sporting event held in the Grand Duchy since the outbreak of the global health crisis.
Moreover, the Silver League has accounted for the much-awaited return of a small crowd of supporters after the government of Luxembourg lifted earlier this month some of the toughest restrictions in place, thus allowing up to 150 fans to attend the matches held at d’Coque.
The players and coaching staff of Team Hungary celebrate after securing first place in Pool B following their 3 matches in Luxembourg (picture courtesy of media4all)
Despite social distancing in place and other measures to comply with, with people expected to wear a mask at all times, Volleyball enthusiasts could feel some sort of return to normalcy. It was especially clear that the players of all participating teams – after a whole club season without any audience across most of Europe – did definitely enjoy the support coming from the stands.
The staff and volunteers of the Luxembourg Volleyball Federation have worked tirelessly to make these matches happen even under difficult circumstances, including players and all other team members required to undertake coronavirus tests every 24 hours in order to comply with the local regulations.
However, there is no doubt that the Silver League has laid the foundations for what many hope will be an enjoyable summer, with a number of small camps specifically designed for the younger players in the pipeline in order to make up for the cancellation of all youth activity for almost a full year.
