WESTGATE LAS VEGAS RESORT & CASINO TO HOST 2014 NORTH AMERICAN CHINESE INVITATIONAL VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT
Marks First Time In Tournament History It Will Be Held In A City Outside The Standard Six-City Rotation
The Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino is proud to announce that it is the location for the 2014 North American Chinese Invitational Volleyball Tournament August 30 – September 1, 2014. This event is rich in history and tradition and this will mark the first time that this tournament will be located outside of its standard six-city rotation. Although San Francisco is technically the host city for 2014, they have chosen to have the tournament at the Westgate Las Vegas for their turn. This marks the 70th year for the tournament.
The North American Chinese Invitational Volleyball Tournament is held every Labor Day and features men’s and women’s teams with nine players per side. All teams must have at least 2/3 of the players on the court at all times who are 100% Chinese in order to participate. The remaining 1/3 of the team’s players must be of Asian descent (originating from Myanmar, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam). The court is 33’ X 66’, three feet wider and six feet longer than a traditional court. The net is seven feet eight and half inches high compared to the standard eight feet. There is no rotation as in standard volleyball, no 10-foot line, no blocking over, blocks count as hits and only three members on a team may serve. All of this makes for a very fast-paced and exciting game.
The tournament has an amazing history, developing out of the need for Chinese laundry workers in the late 1930’s to find something to do in their few off hours from work where they could meet and socialize with their peers. The main purpose for the games was to develop understanding and friendship among those in their own culture. The first games between cities were not tournaments but, eventually, the first North American Chinese Invitational Volleyball Tournament was held in Boston in 1944. The games broke down barriers of distance between cities and barriers of class between laundry workers and privileged students. A milestone for the tournaments came in 1976 when women played for the first time. Women’s participation was official the following year at the Toronto tournament when six women’s teams competed for a women’s tournament championship.
Over the years, the tournament has grown and evolved, yet it still retains the central purpose of bringing communities closer together and providing a recreational outlet for young people. Volleyball represents continuity in the culture and offers the building of ties not only among communities but among generations, as well.
The North American Chinese Invitational Volleyball Tournament will be held in the Paradise Event Center at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. The tournament schedule can be found at www.thelvh.com/nacivt-event-schedule. For more information or to book accommodations at the new Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, call toll free at (800) 732-7117 or log on to www.westgatelasvegasresort.com.
ABOUT WESTGATE LAS VEGAS RESORT & CASINO
The Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, a legendary world-class destination, offers a unique blend of amenities and excitement with all your favorite table games, hottest slots on the market, incredible restaurants, endless entertainment, more than 200,000 square feet of meeting space and the world’s largest race and sports SuperBook®. The Westgate Las Vegas provides a range of culinary adventures including exhibition-style Japanese cuisine at the world-famous Benihana, fine steaks at TJ’s Steakhouse, Mexican specialties and fabulous margaritas at Vince Neil’s Tatuado Restaurant & Cantina, mouth-watering burgers at Burger Bistro, Pan-Asian dining at 888 Noodle Bar, authentic Japanese sushi at Teru Sushi, a traditional buffet that features tastes from around the world and more. The property boasts a strong entertainment schedule led by “Raiding the Rock Vault” in the main theater, as well as a variety of on-going headliners, comedy and production shows in the Shimmer Cabaret. Its proximity to the Las Vegas Convention Center and its designation as a Monorail station (connecting it to the Las Vegas Strip) makes it the ideal hotel for conventions and visitors alike. For more information or to book accommodations, call toll free at (800) 732-7117 or log on to www.westgatelasvegasresort.com.