From: http://www.fivb.org/viewPressRelease.asp?No=23130&Language=en - The international Beach Volleyball circuit returns to Korea for the fourth-straight season as Seoul will host the first women’s-only event on the 2010 SWATCH FIVB World Tour calendar May 25-30 with a tournament on the Han River Jamsil Citizen Park courts. After the first three events featured double gender competition in Brazil, China and Italy, the SWATCH FIVB World Tour will part for the last weekend in May with the men’s international circuit staging an event at the same time in Poland for the second-straight year in Myslowice. Both events will each offer US$190,000 in prize money. The ABCs of women’s Beach Volleyball have captured the first three titles on the Han River Jamsil Citizen Park courts with pairs from Australia, Brazil and China topping the Seoul podiums in 2007, 2008 and 2009. The Seoul Open is also the first of three women’s-only SWATCH events in Asia this season. China and Thailand will host the final two women’s international events in late October and early November, respectively. Natalie Cook, the only woman to compete in four Olympic Beach Volleyball competitions with a Sydney 2000 gold medal, and Tamsin Barnett captured the 2007 Seoul Open gold medal for Australia by defeating China’s Jia Tian and Jie Wang in the finals. The Chinese pair claimed the silver medal the next year at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games while Cook and Barnett placed fifth. China’s Chen Xue and Xi Zhang topped the 2008 Seoul podium by defeating legendary Brazilians Shelda Bede and Ana Paula Connelly in the finale. Shelda and Ana Paula eventually finished as the 2008 SWATCH FIVB World Tour champions while Xue and Zhang collected the bronze medal in Beijing after losing the semi-finals to Chinese rivals Tian and Wang. Brazilians Talita Antunes and Maria Antonelli won their second of four gold medals in 2009 by defeating Americans Jen Kessy and April Ross in the Seoul finale. Talita, who placed fourth at the Beijing Olympics with Renata Ribeiro, and Antonelli finished as No. 2 women’s team on the 2009 SWATCH FIVB World Tour while Kessy and Ross captured the 2009 SWATCH FIVB World Championships at the start of July in Stavanger, Norway. With the 2010 SWATCH FIVB World Tour starting in April and concluding in November, the international Beach Volleyball circuit will visit 17 sites in 14 countries over an eight-month period. The 2010 calendar features 15 women’s and 14 men’s events within the Asian, European and South American confederations and will be offering $6.82-million in prize money. Twelve of the tournaments will be combined men’s and women’s events, including all six Grand Slam stops.