T here are many varieties of volleyball one can play. There’s beach volleyball where players compete on the sand, there’s aquatic volleyball where players are immersed in the water, and there’s even snow volleyball, a winter activity that one should probably play wearing a down jacket. But as of this month, there’s a new and surprising variation of the sport that will undoubtedly become very popular: volleyball on water.

To get everyone in the mood before the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship all set to take place partially in Ljubljana in the next few weeks, the Slovenian capital organized an innovative event: Volleyball on Water. Volleyball on Water is a tournament that took place on the surface of the river Ljubljanica in the heart of Ljubljana.

The volleyball court is set up on the river, but not above it – it’s partially submerged. Naturally, players got their feet and their attires quite wet during the tournament. The set-up made it a lot more fun for players to dive to save a ball knowing it would be a little cold but impact-free.

And while the whole concept is super fun, the fact that the volleyball court lights up in bright colors at night took this event up a notch. Spectators gathered on the bridges and the banks of the river Ljubljanica to enjoy the show and immortalize the events via Instagram and Tiktok.

Although it was all fun for those watching, volleyball on water is not as easy as it looks. Piotr Ilewicz, a professional volleyball player from Poland, participated in the event and said to the publication Volleyball World, “I am amazed after this game. […] I thought it would be easier to play, but honestly, when I started to play, I saw that it was really tough.”

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