Beach Volleyball

The 2008 Olympic Beach Volleyball Games will be held from August 9-22 in Beijing.

Beach volleyball evolved from indoor volleyball. Its rules and fields are very similar to that of its indoor parent. The most important differences are that beach volleyball is played on sand, and instead of a team of six, a beach volleyball team comprises only two players.

The sand of a beach volleyball court must be specially selected. It must be smooth, fine and without impurities. In order to find the proper sand for 2008 Beijing Olympics, the whole 18000km coastline of China were carefully searched. Finally the proper sand was found around Hainan Island, which is actually at the east end of the Chinese mainland.

Beach volleyball started in Santa Monica, California in the 1920s. After becoming an exhibition sport at the 1992 Olympics, beach volleyball gained official Olympic status at the following three consecutive Olympic Games in Atlanta, Sydney and Athens.