Council set to host national and international sporting events in Ayr

This is an archived article from 12 May 2023. 

South Ayrshire Council will host two high profile sporting events during May. 

First up this weekend is the Scottish Rowing National Beach Sprints Regatta, which will take place at Ayr beach (pier end) between 10:00am and 4:00pm on Sunday 14 May.   

The event will see athletes selected for the Scottish Rowing Team and will also be used to identify potential talent for the GB team. 

The Preliminary Qualifying round for Beach Volleyball at the Paris 2024 Olympics will be held the following weekend at Kyle Academy's Beach Courts.  The event will be held over two consecutive days (Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 May) from 12:00noon until 5:00pm on Saturday and 9:00am to 5:00pm on Sunday. 

This is the first round of the qualifier, the CEV Beach Nations Cup, which will see athletes from Scotland, Poland, Belgium, and the Czech Republic compete to progress to the second round, which will be held at a later date. 

There will even be the opportunity for spectators to give volleyball a go themselves with our 'come and try' activities. 

The events have been organised by our Thriving Communities team in conjunction with our partners at Scottish Rowing and Scottish Volleyball. 

Everyone is welcome to come along to enjoy the events and support the athletes. 

Scottish Rowing Chief Operating Officer, Amanda Cobb said: "We are thrilled to be holding this new Beach Sprints event in Ayr this weekend and are looking forward to welcoming top-level athletes from across the UK to compete on the beautiful sands of Ayr Beach against the stunning backdrop of Arran. We owe a huge thanks to the team at South Ayrshire Council for their support in hosting the event and are looking forward to some great racing".  

CEO Scottish Volleyball, Margaret Ann Flemming MBE, said: "We are delighted to be hosting this prestigious event in South Ayrshire. I would encourage the community to get down and watch some fantastic volleyball and give their support to our Scottish team, whilst showing the other visiting nations a great welcome. I would like to thank the team at South Ayrshire Council for going above and beyond in assisting us with the event and providing the brilliant facilities at Kyle Academy."  

South Ayrshire Council's Portfolio Holder for Sport and Leisure, Councillor Brian Connolly, said: "It's fantastic to see these national and international sporting events come to South Ayrshire.  Events like these inspire others to take up sports, so it's important for us as a Council to support these.  Both events will be great to spectate and I'd encourage as many people as possible to come along to cheer on the athletes."