Asian Beach Volleyball Open Pingtung Stop to Begin June 4; Chou Yin-Cheng to Make National Team Debut
The 2026 Asian Beach Volleyball Open in Pingtung, an official Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) tour event, will run from June 4 to 7. The tournament will feature 46 teams from 14 countries and is being promoted alongside the local Donggang Bluefin Tuna Festival to boost tourism. Chou Yin-Cheng, captain of the National Taiwan University men's volleyball team, will make his debut for the national beach volleyball team.
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- 📰 Published: May 18, 2026 at 18:11
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(CNA, Taipei, May 18, Reporter: Chen Jung-chen) The 2026 Asian Beach Volleyball Open Pingtung stop will be held from June 4 to 7. Making his debut in the national beach volleyball team jersey, Chou Yin-Cheng, captain of the National Taiwan University men's volleyball team, expressed his hope to experience the skill level of world-class players and use it as motivation for future improvement.
As one of the Asian Volleyball Confederation's (AVC) key annual point-based tour events, the Asian Beach Volleyball Open Pingtung stop will take place from June 4 to 7 at the Dapeng Bay Qingzhou Coastal Recreation Area. Coinciding with the Donggang Bluefin Tuna Festival, the event integrates local culture and tourism features, adopting the theme 'Southern Island Heatwave' and aiming to create the most distinctively Asian stop on the beach volleyball tour.
The Pingtung Open has attracted 46 top beach volleyball teams from 14 countries. Taiwan will field 5 teams to defend their home court. The women's national team aims to surpass its previous 9th place finish. Additionally, a major highlight of the tournament will be the participation of Australian beach volleyball icon and 2020 Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Taliqua Clancy, who will compete with her partner.
Chou Yin-Cheng, a graduate of the traditional high school volleyball powerhouse Feng-Yuan Commercial High School and currently playing for the National Taiwan University men's volleyball team, will don the national beach volleyball team jersey for the first time. He will team up with his long-time teammate Chuang Yu-Hsiang. In an interview with CNA, Chou stated he wants to use this opportunity to understand the gap between himself and world-class players, identify his weaknesses, and turn them into fuel for future growth.
Chou revealed that he has played beach volleyball since middle school and prefers the two-person format over six-person indoor volleyball because it offers a greater sense of participation. 'Sometimes in indoor volleyball, a point scored has nothing to do with you, and it feels a bit hollow to cheer. Beach volleyball is more tiring, but it's very fulfilling to play,' he said. (Editor: Li Hsi-chang) 1150518
As one of the Asian Volleyball Confederation's (AVC) key annual point-based tour events, the Asian Beach Volleyball Open Pingtung stop will take place from June 4 to 7 at the Dapeng Bay Qingzhou Coastal Recreation Area. Coinciding with the Donggang Bluefin Tuna Festival, the event integrates local culture and tourism features, adopting the theme 'Southern Island Heatwave' and aiming to create the most distinctively Asian stop on the beach volleyball tour.
The Pingtung Open has attracted 46 top beach volleyball teams from 14 countries. Taiwan will field 5 teams to defend their home court. The women's national team aims to surpass its previous 9th place finish. Additionally, a major highlight of the tournament will be the participation of Australian beach volleyball icon and 2020 Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Taliqua Clancy, who will compete with her partner.
Chou Yin-Cheng, a graduate of the traditional high school volleyball powerhouse Feng-Yuan Commercial High School and currently playing for the National Taiwan University men's volleyball team, will don the national beach volleyball team jersey for the first time. He will team up with his long-time teammate Chuang Yu-Hsiang. In an interview with CNA, Chou stated he wants to use this opportunity to understand the gap between himself and world-class players, identify his weaknesses, and turn them into fuel for future growth.
Chou revealed that he has played beach volleyball since middle school and prefers the two-person format over six-person indoor volleyball because it offers a greater sense of participation. 'Sometimes in indoor volleyball, a point scored has nothing to do with you, and it feels a bit hollow to cheer. Beach volleyball is more tiring, but it's very fulfilling to play,' he said. (Editor: Li Hsi-chang) 1150518