Olympics Review: Beach Volleyball, where entertainment meets sport

Probably the most well attended sport of the entire London 2012 Olympic Games, Beach Volleyball this summer has truly captured the imagination of people around the world. Here I give my thoughts on how it all has worked out:

1. ENTERTAINMENT: 9/10 – Above all it is about having FUN! Most spectators attending any sporting event, go there for the competition itself, for the performance of the athletes taking part and, of course, for the final result. Here that’s only half of the reason. People attending a beach volleyball match go because they are guaranteed to have a great time. Given the high demand of tickets for London, most people if not all of us had to buy tickets without knowing what they were going to watch. I bought mine just four weeks out and didn’t have a clue what I was going to watch. It didn’t matter. Between the constant music, the venue’s host, the cheerleaders... ah! And the game itself, there never really is a dull moment.

Olympics Beach Volleyball - in London

People are so willing to have a great time that they easily get carried away. So much that at some point in one of the matches I attended a massive conga of over 100 people set off and went on and on around the stadium – very, very funny.

The only downside is that there is so much going on off the court that at times, many, it is very easy to lose record of what is going on in the court and before you know it it may be set or match point!

2. LOCATION: 9/10 - A ‘beach’ in the heart of the city. Bang on in the centre of London, arguably the world’s capital, they have built this fantastic temporary 15,000 capacity stadium; off the house of the Prime Minister and a stone’s throw of Buckingham Palace too, in the background one sees the London Eye – Britain’s most visited touristic attraction every year (and it was supposed to be a temporary one too). All that means that from the beginning it was always going to be really appealing as it is really easily accessible for everyone going, with no less than five underground stations and a couple of train stations within relatively short walk distance.

The location of the London Olympics Beach Volleyball stadium provides fantastic views

And I am told this is exactly what they do when they play beach volleyball at the highest level around the world. They look for the best locations in the cities, so people are easily attracted to the events; as opposed to having to travel long distances outside of the city and get back later.

3. SEXYNESS: 8/10 – It is inevitable to refer here to one of the key ingredients for the re-invention of Volleyball within this beach environment: women playing while wearing bikinis. For the level of skill and dedication the athletes put into it, it is no surprise that 65% of those applying for tickets for the London 2012 Olympic Beach Volleyball were men; no other sport had such a one-sided male appeal. Admittedly, what’s not to like watching ultra-fit women throwing themselves into the sand with all those ultra-tight bikinis?

Now, there has been a slight problem: given this is London, temperatures tend to drop significantly once the sun sets in the horizon. Which in turns means the female players switch their bikinis for the equivalent of ‘beach volleyball burqas’ – overalls that keep them warm in the under 20s evening temperatures. I don’t need to tell you what happens next, but here is an idea...

Women's beach volleyball 'burqas' - not quite what people expect to see

Action is still as intense - just a little bit less of flesh in view

If you are a male reader I kind of can imagine what you are thinking. If you are a female reader you may understand men too, or feel slightly appalled by finding out that many men watch women’s beach volleyball for ‘not-quite-the-right’ reasons. Sorry, but it is what it is.

Ah, but there is hope - and there are too the cheerleaders. Not only all girls but there a couple of guys too, so everyone gets a bit of eye candy every now and then when there are long time outs and in between matches.

The official with one of the toughest jobs in the world

4. PERFORMANCE: 6.5/10 – I can appreciate players give everything they have to make each point as tough and competitive as possible. What happens though is that, compared to the ‘old’, indoors Volleyball it feels slower, less intense and less aggressive. For starters there are only two of them per team, as opposed to six, which easily means a lot more chances of scoring each time, or less chances of defending a ball.

Because they jump off sand and on their bare feet, they cannot simply replicate the height or speed of jump seen in normal volleyball, where a solid floor and proper trainers helps players gain speed and momentum, flying high up in the sky.

Good 'old' volleyball: jump higher, hit harder, move faster.
And there's so many of them, there's always something happening!

In addition, given there is just two of them, this leaves the door open for many drop shots (where the attacking player, instead of hitting the ball hard, simply gives it a soft touch and lets it drop behind the defending player). It is no easy skill that players do not over use, but it is seen a lot more than in normal volleyball.

They suspend themselves in the air - and then let the ball drop ever so softly on the sand.
Difficult skill, no doubt. Just not visually that compelling.

5. IT IS A ‘MIXED’ AFFAIR: 10/10 – Other than in tennis, I cannot think of another sport that has learnt so well to combine both the men’s and women’s versions at the same events. Ok maybe badminton, table-tennis, squash and swimming. Here a normal day of play alternates both men’s and women’s matches. And given the nature of the sport, even though men by nature are able to jump higher, hit harder and last longer, women’s matches are virtually as competitive and furious. Just like attending a high profile tennis event, you get to watch both men’s and women’s and at no point you feel you are being short-changed by the competition.

In summary: everyone attending a beach volleyball event will have a great time; you may not get to watch the most spectacular of sports yet you will go home feeling you had a fantastic time and got your money’s worth. I will be going back soon, no doubt. However they do not play ‘mixed’ Beach Volleyball like they do in tennis or badminton and that might well be an additional expansion the game -and the spectators- will welcome in the future...

Until next time, thank you for reading.