The International Volleyball Federation has announced a cruise ship as one of the four venues of the World Beach Volleyball Championship in 2015 to be held in the Netherlands from the 26th of June and July 5th. 

At a news conference on Wednesday, the tournament organizers reported that the Holland America cruise ship SS Rotterdam will be part of the competition. In fact, the matches themselves are not within the facilities of the ship, but at the pier where the ship is moored in a local river. 

A stadium Will be built for 2000 people and three blocks heating side of the SS Rotterdam. During the competition, the boat will be used to host players and special guests, to house the media center. 

SS Rotterdam was used by Holland America Line as a cruise ship in the last century, and even made trips to the United States. The vessel was decommissioned in the mid-2000s, and currently operates as a hotel and museum. 

Besides Rotterdam, the cities of Amsterdam, Apeldoorn and The Hague will host matches of the tournament. In common, all arenas are in central regions, to attract public attention. Conduct games of beach volleyball in urban rather than coastal cities is a growing trend in the sport.