HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – As crews set up nearly 30 indoor volleyball courts at the Hawaii Convention Center, all the right pieces are falling into place for this year’s edition of the TransPacific Volleyball Championships.

This year’s tournament features nearly 400 teams with 5,000 athletes from 13 different states and six countries.

“For us, our belief is that we need to make Hawaii first in every decision that we make and so in building an event such, we have Hawaii’s best interest at heart when we put something like this in place because of the fact that how many different areas and ways we’ll be able to bring life to Hawaii,” said organizer Ed Chun.

Starting early Saturday morning and through Monday afternoon, 1,400 matches will be played at various sites across Oahu.

With an anticipated 25,000 spectators, state tourism leaders see a major victory for Hawaii’s visitor industry.

“One is destination marketing to demonstrate we are a great place,” said Hawaii Tourism Authority board chair Mufi Hannemann. “In this case, to have sports, to stay, to enjoy yourself, get yourself immersed in the culture and then making it possible for local teams. Not to have to fundraise to go to the mainland to have to compete, they can do a major tournament right here in the state of Hawaii.”

Hannemann expects this tournament alone to generate millions of dollars in revenue for the state’s economy — financial success on top of what’s already been a packed stretch for major sporting events with the Sony Open, The Sentry, Hawaii Bowl, Polynesian Bowl and major college basketball tournaments.

All collectively emphasize the state’s viability as a sports tourism destination.

“All those events again demonstrates what we are trying to achieve that we are a sports capital,” Hannemann said. “We want people to know that we’re not just a great place to vacation, but if you want to engage in sports, look no further than the state of Hawaii.”

Click here for more information on how to attend the TransPacific Championships.

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