TEMPO Interactive, PALEMBANG:The second Asia Pacific Beach Volley International Tournament will begin today in Jakabaring Sport City, Palembang. The event will last until next Sunday. Nine countries will participate in the tournament offering US$30,000 in prize money. The countries competing are Malaysia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Iran, Maldives, Thailand and Indonesia. Fourteen countries previously registered for the competition but some canceled their registration, such as Kazakhstan, Oman, Taiwan, Qatar and India. “But the quality of the tournament will not be reduced because the countries that canceled their registration are low ranking,” said the South Sumatra National Sports Council head, Mudai Madang, yesterday. The tournament follows on from the fourth Asia Pacific beach volley super series championship. The first series was held in Iran while the second and third in Thailand. ANANDA W TERESIA