The world’s top teams in international beach volleyball are back in action 

The opening round of the Elite16 tournament has kicked off at Aspire Park sports complex featuring Qatar’s former World No.1 Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan.

The five-day tournament will reunite 56 teams looking to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics, with the country’s Tokyo 2020 bronze winners hoping to return in the international competition.

Younousse and Ahmed were drawn into Group D alongside Brazil’s George Wanderley and Andre Loyola Stein.

German’s Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler will also contend in the Doha Elite16 event.

Qatar’s Abdallah Ibrahim Nassim and Assam Ahmed Mahmoud are set to participate in Group C of the tournament.

The duo pair will face off against Dutch Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen in addition to Chilean brothers Marco and Esteban Grimalt.

With a total cash bag of $300,000 at the Doha Elite16 event, 28 men and 28 women will also seek to add points to their Olympic Rankings.

The Doha event is only one phase of the tournament as the qualification period for the Paris Olympics ends on June 9, 2024, weeks before the quadrennial occasion.

The 17 best-ranked men’s and women’s teams in the Olympic rankings will qualify for the games.

“We’re really excited to start Olympic qualification,” Australian Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Mariafe Artacho del Solar said.

“It’s going to be a long season, but it’s finally here. Playing in the Beach Pro Tour Finals has been a very good preparation.

“We haven’t been able to play or practice with most of the top teams in the world over the last few months, so it has been really good for us,” the 29-year-old right-side defender said.