Switzerland’s Olympic hopes are gearing up for their home tournament

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After this week’s Poreč Major, Anouk Vergé-Dépré and partner Isabelle Forrer will head home for the Gstaad Major. Photocredit: Joerg Mitter.

It’s now under one week until our Gstaad Major bursts into life and there are some very excited Swiss teams anticipating the beach volleyball madness in the mountains!

The two women’s teams from Switzerland who have qualified for the Olympics had mixed results in their first matches at the Poreč Major but both partnerships can’t wait to feel the atmosphere on home turf next week.

“Gstaad is a very big highlight in our calendar and we’re looking forward to it,” Nadine Zumkehr told us. “It’s the perfect time to a Swiss player; firstly, because we’re here on the beach in Poreč knowing next week we’re going home, back to Switzerland and to the mountains. It’s going to be nice!”

Anouk Vergé-Dépré and partner Isabelle Forrer, won their opening game of the Poreč Major against Brazilians Maria Antonelli/Lili.

“I think they had the only Brazilian on the tour that doesn’t like the heat!” joked Isabelle. “It has been tough on tour because it’s been mostly cold weather so far in Europe, except in February in Brazil and in Antalya – but we’re getting used to it. We want to enjoy the environment and hope the weather will continue before next week.

“Gstaad is an amazing tournament, the scenery is beautiful, it’s really…Swiss! Playing on home turf is really cool and we expect to have plenty of family and friends there.”

And it’s that support which Vergé-Dépré is looking forward to when they rock up in the Alps this time next week.

“It’s a tradition for everyone to head up to the mountains and play beach volleyball,” said Anouk. “We love playing in front of home crowds and celebrate every point with the crowd – that feels amazing.”

Remember to keep up-to-date with all of the Swiss teams’ progress in Poreč click here, all information on our Gstaad Major can be found here.