Beach volleyball at the Summer Olympics facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Beach volleyball at the Summer Olympics |
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| Governing body | FIVB |
| Events | 2 (men: 1; women: 1) |
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Beach volleyball is a super fun sport played on sand! It became a special "demonstration event" at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. This means it was shown off, but not yet an official medal sport. Then, at the 1996 Olympics, beach volleyball became an official sport! Since then, the United States is the only country to win medals in every single Olympic beach volleyball tournament.
Winning an Olympic medal is the biggest achievement in international beach volleyball. After that, the World Championships and the World Tour are also very important. These events are organized by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB).
Contents
How Beach Volleyball Joined the Olympics
Early Days: A Demonstration Sport
Beach volleyball first appeared at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. It was a demonstration sport. This means it was played to show people how exciting it was, but no official medals were given out. In that first tournament, Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos won for the men. For the women, Karolyn Kirby and Nancy Reno were the winners.
Becoming an Official Olympic Sport
Beach volleyball became an official Olympic sport in 1996. Since then, 24 teams compete in each Olympic beach volleyball tournament. Teams earn their spot by doing well in FIVB events for about 18 months before the Olympics. Each country can send a maximum of two teams. One spot is always saved for the country hosting the Games. Another spot is given to a "wild-card" country chosen randomly. If any continent isn't represented, the highest-ranked team from that continent gets to play.
Men's Olympic Beach Volleyball
The men's tournament has always had 24 teams competing.
First Gold: Atlanta 1996
The very first official men's tournament was at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. The matches were played at a place called "Atlanta Beach." The winners of the semifinals played for the gold and silver medals. The teams that lost the semifinals played for the bronze medal. The final match was between two American teams: Karch Kiraly and Kent Steffes against Mike Dodd and Mike Whitmarsh. Kiraly is special because he's the only person to win Olympic medals in both indoor volleyball (in 1984 and 1988) and beach volleyball!
Sydney 2000: Another American Win
The 2000 beach volleyball tournament was held at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. Another American team, Blanton and Fonoimoana, won the gold medal. They beat the Brazilian team of Zé Marco and Ricardo in the final. Ricardo had also played in the Atlanta Games.
Athens 2004: Brazil Takes Gold
At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, the tournament was held at the Faliro Coastal Zone Olympic Complex. This time, the Brazilian team of Emanuel and Ricardo (who won silver in 2000) took home the gold medal. They defeated Bosma and Herrera from Spain.
Beijing 2008: An Upset and New Champions
The 2008 beach volleyball tournament was held in Beijing, China. In a surprise, the reigning champions, Emanuel and Ricardo, were beaten by their fellow Brazilians, Márcio Araújo and Fábio Luiz, in the semifinal. Emanuel and Ricardo still won the bronze medal. The Brazilian victors were then defeated by the American team of Rogers and Dalhausser in the final.
London 2012: Germany's Turn
The 2012 tournament was played at the famous Horse Guards Parade in London, England. Emanuel Rego, now playing with Alison Cerutti, won his third straight Olympic medal. He completed the set of all three medal colors (gold, silver, bronze) by reaching the finals. However, they lost to the German team of Brink and Reckermann. Mārtiņš Pļaviņš and Jānis Šmēdiņš from Latvia won the bronze medal.
Rio 2016: Back to the Beach
After 16 years, the 2016 tournament was held on a real beach again: Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Alison Cerutti, now with Bruno Schmidt, returned to the finals and won the gold medal. They beat Daniele Lupo and Paolo Nicolai of Italy. The Dutch team of Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen won the bronze.
Tokyo 2020: Norway's First Gold
The 2020 Olympics (held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) had beach volleyball at Shiokaze Park in Japan. Norwegians Anders Mol and Christian Sørum won the gold medal. They beat the Russian team of Viacheslav Krasilnikov and Oleg Stoyanovskiy in the final. Brazil did not win any medals in the men's tournament for the first time since 1996.
Women's Olympic Beach Volleyball
Atlanta 1996: Brazil's First Gold
In Atlanta, Georgia, in 1996, eighteen women's teams competed. The championship match was an all-Brazilian final between Jackie Silva and Sandra Pires versus Mônica Rodrigues and Adriana Samuel. The Australian team of Natalie Cook and Kerri Pottharst won the bronze medal, beating an American team.
Sydney 2000: Australia Wins at Home
At the Sydney Olympics in 2000, the number of women's teams grew to 24. One of the Australian teams, Natalie Cook and Kerri Pottharst, won the gold medal! They beat the Brazilian team of Adriana Behar and Shelda Bede. Cook and Pottharst had won bronze in Atlanta, so this was a big step up. Another Brazilian team, with 1996 champion Sandra Pires, won the bronze medal.
Athens 2004: The Rise of May-Treanor and Walsh
In 2004, in Athens, Brazil's Behar and Bede made it to the final again. But they were defeated by the American team of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh. Both May-Treanor and Walsh had played in the Sydney Olympics. Another American team, Holly McPeak and Elaine Youngs, won the bronze medal.
Beijing 2008: Back-to-Back Gold for USA
In 2008 in China, May-Treanor and Walsh (now known as Walsh Jennings) won again! They defeated the Chinese team of Tian Jia and Wang Jie in the finals. Another Chinese team won the bronze medal. This was the first time Brazilian women went home without a medal in beach volleyball.
London 2012: Three-Peat for May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings
In 2012 in England, May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings won their third straight Olympic gold medal! They beat another American team, April Ross and Jennifer Kessy, in the final. So, the United States won both gold and silver. Brazil won the bronze medal.
Rio 2016: Germany's Golden Moment
The 2016 tournament in Brazil saw the home country return to the women's final after 12 years. Ágatha Bednarczuk and Bárbara Seixas won their semifinal. However, they lost the gold medal to the German team of Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst. The American team of April Ross and Kerri Walsh Jennings won the bronze medal. This made Walsh Jennings the only player to win four beach volleyball Olympic medals!
Tokyo 2020: Ross Finally Gets Gold
The 2020 tournament in Japan saw April Ross, now playing with Alix Klineman, finally win gold on her third try! They beat the Australian team of Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar in the finals. Joana Heidrich and Anouk Vergé-Dépré from Switzerland won the bronze. Brazil did not reach the semifinals for the first time in the women's tournament.
While many countries have won medals in the men's tournament, only a few have done so in the women's event. The United States and Brazil are the strongest nations. The Americans have won the most gold medals with four.
How the Games Are Played
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The First Format: 1996
In 1996, the tournament used a "double-elimination" system. Teams kept playing even after one loss, until only four teams were left for the semifinals. There were 24 men's teams and 16 women's teams. Teams qualified by earning points in special Olympic qualification tournaments. The host country, the United States, automatically had two spots.
Changes in 2000
For the 2000 Olympics, the women's tournament also expanded to 24 teams. The format changed to "single elimination," meaning if you lost, you were out! There was a preliminary round to decide the top 16 teams. Teams qualified by earning points in FIVB events.
New Scoring and Format in 2004
In 2001, the FIVB changed the scoring rules. Instead of playing to 15 points using the "sideout" system, games changed to 21 points using the "rally point" system. This means a point is scored on every serve.
The 2004 tournament split the 24 teams into six groups of four. The top two teams from each group, plus the four best third-place teams, moved on to a single-elimination bracket of sixteen teams. A new rule was added: if a continent wasn't represented, the best team from that continent would get a spot.
Current Format: 2008–2024
The format of six groups of four teams was kept. However, the way third-place teams qualified for the playoffs changed. Two of the six third-place teams went straight to the playoffs. The other four third-place teams played "lucky loser" matches to get the remaining two spots.
Olympic Beach Volleyball Medal Winners
Men's Tournament Winners
| Year | Host City | Gold Medal Match | Bronze Medal Match | Teams | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Medalists | Score | Silver Medalists | Bronze Medalists | Score | 4th Place | ||||||
| 1996 Details |
 Atlanta |
 Karch Kiraly and Kent Steffes |
2–0 | Mike Dodd and Mike Whitmarsh |
 John Child and Mark Heese |
2–0 |  João Brenha and Miguel Maia |
24 | |||
| 2000 Details |
 Sydney |
Dain Blanton and Eric Fonoimoana |
2–0 |  Zé Marco de Melo and Ricardo Santos |
 Jörg Ahmann and Axel Hager |
2–0 | João Brenha and Miguel Maia |
24 | |||
| 2004 Details |
 Athens |
Emanuel Rego and Ricardo Santos |
2–0 |  Javier Bosma and Pablo Herrera |
 Patrick Heuscher and Stefan Kobel |
2–1 |  Julien Prosser and Mark Williams |
24 | |||
| 2008 Details |
 Beijing |
Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers |
2–1 | Márcio Araújo and Fábio Luiz Magalhães |
Emanuel Rego and Ricardo Santos |
2–0 |  Renato "Geor" Gomes and Jorge "Gia" Terceiro |
24 | |||
| 2012 Details |
 London |
Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann |
2–1 | Alison Cerutti and Emanuel Rego |
 Mārtiņš Pļaviņš and Jānis Šmēdiņš |
2–1 |  Reinder Nummerdor and Richard Schuil |
24 | |||
| 2016 Details |
 Rio de Janeiro |
Alison Cerutti and Bruno Oscar Schmidt |
2–0 |  Daniele Lupo and Paolo Nicolai |
Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen |
2–0 |  Viacheslav Krasilnikov and Konstantin Semenov |
24 | |||
| 2020 Details |
 Tokyo |
 Anders Mol and Christian Sørum |
2–0 |  Viacheslav Krasilnikov and Oleg Stoyanovskiy |
 Ahmed Tijan and Cherif Younousse |
2–0 | Mārtiņš Pļaviņš and Edgars Točs |
24 | |||
| 2024 Details |
 Paris |
– | – | 24 | |||||||
Women's Tournament Winners
| Year | Host City | Gold Medal Match | Bronze Medal Match | Teams | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold Medalists | Score | Silver Medalists | Bronze Medalists | Score | 4th Place | ||||||
| 1996 Details |
Atlanta |
Sandra Pires and Jackie Silva |
2–0 | Mônica Rodrigues and Adriana Samuel |
Natalie Cook and Kerri Pottharst |
2–0 | Barbra Fontana and Linda Hanley |
18 | |||
| 2000 Details |
Sydney |
Natalie Cook and Kerri Pottharst |
2–0 | Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar |
Sandra Pires and Adriana Samuel |
2–0 |  Yukiko Takahashi and Mika Teru Saiki |
24 | |||
| 2004 Details |
Athens |
Misty May and Kerri Walsh Jennings |
2–0 | Shelda Bede and Adriana Behar |
Holly McPeak and Elaine Youngs |
2–1 | Natalie Cook and Nicole Sanderson |
24 | |||
| 2008 Details |
Beijing |
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings |
2–0 |  Tian Jia and Wang Jie |
Xue Chen and Zhang Xi |
2–0 | Talita Antunes and Renata Ribeiro |
24 | |||
| 2012 Details |
London |
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings |
2–0 | Jennifer Kessy and April Ross |
Larissa França and Juliana Silva |
2–1 | Xue Chen and Zhang Xi |
24 | |||
| 2016 Details |
Rio de Janeiro |
Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst |
2–0 | Ágatha Bednarczuk and Bárbara Seixas |
April Ross and Kerri Walsh Jennings |
2–1 | Talita Antunes and Larissa França |
24 | |||
| 2020 Details |
Tokyo |
Alix Klineman and April Ross |
2–0 | Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy |
Joana Heidrich and Anouk Vergé-Dépré |
2–0 | Tīna Graudiņa and Anastasija Kravčenoka |
24 | |||
| 2024 Details |
Paris |
– | – | 24 | |||||||
Medal Count by Country
This table shows which countries have won the most medals in Olympic beach volleyball.
Overall Medals (Men and Women)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States (USA) |
7 | 2 | 2 | 11 |
| 2 | Brazil (BRA) |
3 | 7 | 3 | 13 |
| 3 |  Germany (GER) |
2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 4 |  Australia (AUS) |
1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 |  Norway (NOR) |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 |  China (CHN) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 |  Italy (ITA) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Republic of China (ROC) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Spain (ESP) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 10 |  Switzerland (SUI) |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 11 |  Canada (CAN) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Latvia (LAT) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Netherlands (NED) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Qatar (QAT) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (14 entries) | 14 | 14 | 14 | 42 | |
Men's Medals
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States (USA) |
3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 2 | Brazil (BRA) |
2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| 3 | Germany (GER) |
1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | Norway (NOR) |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | Italy (ITA) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Republic of China (ROC) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Spain (ESP) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 8 | Canada (CAN) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Latvia (LAT) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Netherlands (NED) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Qatar (QAT) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Switzerland (SUI) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (12 entries) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 | |
Women's Medals
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States (USA) |
4 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 2 | Brazil (BRA) |
1 | 4 | 2 | 7 |
| 3 | Australia (AUS) |
1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 4 | Germany (GER) |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | China (CHN) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 6 | Switzerland (SUI) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (6 entries) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 | |
See also
In Spanish: Vóley playa en los Juegos Olímpicos para niños
- Volleyball at the Summer Olympics
- List of Olympic venues in volleyball
