At the European Multisport Championships

Beach volleyball could return to Lake Wörthersee!

The beach volleyball event at Lake Wörthersee was more than popular!(Bild: zVg)

Europe's beach stars could soon be hitting the ball in Klagenfurt's Ostbucht again - as part of a multi-sport European Championship with Slovenia. Carinthia wants to co-host the 3rd European Championships.Five sports possible in our province. State sports chief Arno Arthofer is convinced, but is having a feasibility study carried out.

"That's the way - aha, aha - I like it!" Those were the good old days. When the mighty beach volleyball event still took place on Lake Wörthersee. Until event guru Hannes Jagerhofer packed his bags in 2016 - and moved the sandpit to Vienna.

But now the "beach" could be celebrating its comeback in Klagenfurt - as part of the 3rd European Championships, the European Multisport Championships!

Main center Ljubljana
Carinthia now wants to land this. This is also confirmed by state sports director Arno Arthofer to the "Krone". "Yes, it's true. The 2026 Games will take place in Slovenia, with Ljubljana as the main center. The Slovenians have asked us whether we would like to host a transnational event - and yes, we have given our consent in principle," explains Arthofer.

Regional Sports Director Arno Arthofer(Bild: GEPA pictures/ Walter Luger)

At the Starnacht site
The European Championships are due to take place in 2026, although the exact date has not yet been set. Carinthia would host the sports of triathlon, flat-water canoeing, BMX, rowing - and beach volleyball. Which would of course be a great attraction! "We would put the beach stadium near where the Star Night always takes place. 2500 seats are needed, we can manage that," explains Arthofer.

We have the Völkermarkt reservoir for rowing, triathlon courses are no problem, BMX infrastructure could be set up quickly and canoeing can be accommodated on one of the many lakes. The Slovenians host climbing, road cycling, track cycling in the velodrome, mountain biking, table tennis and gymnastics.

It is clear that special funding is needed - Carinthia alone cannot finance this.

Arno Arthofer, Landessportdirektor

Special funding
"From a sporting point of view, that would be amazing!" says Arthofer, who still has some hurdles to overcome. "We have the confidence to implement it, but we are commissioning a feasibility study and will evaluate everything. What will it cost? What are the benefits? It is clear that special funding is needed - Carinthia alone cannot finance it, the scale is too big for that," says Arthofer.

130 million euros invested
The 2nd European Championships - at which climber Nicolai Uznik won the European Championship title - took place in Munich in 2022. The federal government, state, local authority and Olympiapark GmbH invested 130 million euros in the event. "We won't need that much," believes Arthofer. But according to the German sustainability report, the city of Munich alone has invested a total of €122 million. What's more, the coverage of the event had an advertising value of half a billion euros!