China's national beach volleyball championships, which also serve as the qualifiers for the 10th national games later this year, opened Thursday in the capital of southern China's island province Hainan.
   
The championships are open to players registered at the China Volleyball Association (CVA) as well as those from Hong Kong, Macao and abroad.
  
The tournament involves venues in seven Chinese cities in a time span of four months, with the finals to be held August 11-14 in Shanghai.

Such a marathon-style schedule aims at getting players well trained through competition so as to be ready for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, a CVA official told Xinhua.

(Xinhua News Agency April 8, 2005)