Beach Volleyball

Beach volleyball became popular in the 1980s, played originally on the beaches of Southern California. It was described by one prominent Olympic historian (Ian Buchanan) as “Baywatch with a medal ceremony”. Unlike the indoor six-person game, beach volleyball is played usually by two-person teams, although events with four-person teams have been contested. The game is played on a sand-based surface. The international governing body of beach volleyball is the Fédération internationale de volley-ball (FIVB), which was formed in April 1947 and had 222 member nations as of 2020.

Beach volleyball was added to the Olympic Program in 1996 and has since been contested at each Olympics. The first men’s gold medal went to the USA team of Karch Kiraly, often considered the greatest ever volleyballer, and his teammate Kent Steffes. Two women have won three gold medals, with Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor winning the title in 2004, 2008, and 2012, while among the men both Emanuel and Ricardo (BRA) have won a full set of medals. The two dominant nations have been Brazil, with 13 medals and 3 golds, and the United States, with 10 medals and 6 gold medals.