History of Olympic Beach Volleyball

With its visions of sand, surf and well-toned athletes, beach volleyball has gained in popularity as a participatory and spectator sport. But what was once just a seaside diversion for families and individuals has become a worldwide form of entertainment. Despite that, it is relatively new on the Olympic stage. But in a short amount of time, it has increased its visibility and created its share of stars.

  1. Exhibition

    • While beach volleyball had been played popularly as a sport since the 1930s, it would not be until six decades later that it began to draw interest from the International Olympic Committee. In 1992, while the Olympics were being played in Barcelona, Spain, beach volleyball debuted as a demonstration sport. More than 100 players representing five continents participated in the tournament.

    Addition to Olympic Games

    • In 1993, the International Olympic Committee granted beach volleyball medal status, making it an official Olympic sport. The decision was made thanks in part to the widespread popularity of the AVP beach volleyball tour. In addition, NBC, which broadcast the Games in America, helped push for the inclusion of the sport.

    First Olympic Tournament

    • The Atlanta Games of 1996 saw the first official Olympic beach volleyball tournament. Qualification for the tournament was based on the year's final FIVB beach volleyball rankings, which included approximately 600 athletes in 42 countries. In the end, 24 men's teams and 18 women's teams competed. Americans dominated the men's side, winning gold and silver while narrowly missing bronze to Canada. For the women, Brazil took home gold and silver, with Australia capturing bronze. Several months later, the IOC confirmed beach volleyball would be included in the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

    Qualification Rules

    • In March 1998, national federations and teams received information on a new qualification formula and competition program. It was a 20-month process that pares the number of teams to 24 for the men's and women's brackets. Along the way, the results of the best eight teams automatically put them among the groups invited to Sydney.

    Olympic Stars

    • It is not surprising the first stars of Olympic beach volleyball first made a name for themselves playing the indoor game. Karch Kiraly, who won gold medals in indoor volleyball in 1984 and 1988, teamed with Kent Steffes to win the first men's beach volleyball gold medal. The Australian duo of Natalie Cook and Kerri-Ann Pottharst followed a bronze-medal performance in Atlanta by striking gold in Sydney. Yet the most successful pairing might be the team of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, who, with their win in the Beijing Olympics of 2008, became the first team, men or women, to successfully repeat as gold medalists.