The FIVB 1 star tournament will feature 16 male and 16 female pairs. The winners of the tournament will earn one point in the 2020 Olympics qualifiers and the organisers hope the tournament will become a 2 point-event next year.

But to achieve this, the event budget will have to be double of what it is this year. Simon Rožnik of Extrem, the company organising the event, told the press that the tournament would cost about EUR 150,000 this year.

Gregor Humerca, the secretary general of the Slovenian Volleyball Association believes that the event will make a considerable contribution to the popularity of beach volleyball in Slovenia.

Some 10,000 spectators are expected at the matches in Congress Square. Apart from the sports, they will also be able to enjoy two pools and a sandy beach, as some 285 tonnes of sand have been hauled to one of Ljubljana's main squares.