Beach Volleyball at the 2024 Paris Olympics
Who needs a beach when you can lay sand down in front of the Eiffel Tower
Beach Volleyball is one of those sports that is taking place on a daily basis throughout the entire Olympics. 96 athletes will make up 48 teams fighting through the men’s and women’s tournaments.
The Basics
Beach volleyball is played by two teams of two players on a sand court 16m long and 8m wide—slightly smaller than an indoor court—that is divided by a net. Beach volleyball uses the same net height as indoor volleyball: 2.24m for women and 2.43m for men.
The first team to win two sets wins the match. The first two sets are played to 21 points each and the third set, if necessary, is played to 15 points. As there are only two players per team, players have a lot more ground to cover, which means they need lightning-fast reflexes. Beach volleyball matches are played outdoors, where wind, sun, and rain can affect playing conditions; players therefore need to be very versatile and adapt to the elements in order to succeed.
The Format
Each tournament has 24 pairs entered. Each country can only enter a maximum 2 teams into each event. United States, France, and Brazil are the 3 nations entering the maximum 4 teams into both events. The group stage is used to cut the field down from 24 to 16. Pairs are divided into 6 groups of 4. A round robin takes places where top 2 teams in each group advance, and 4th place teams are eliminated. Of the 6 3rd place teams, the 2 highest ranked teams also advance, and the remaining 4 play a “lucky loser” match for the final 2 spots. The remaining 16 teams are seeded into a single elimination bracket.
What Countries are Historically Dominant?
Here are all the countries with at least 2 medals since 2008:
#1 United States (4 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze)
#2 Brazil (1 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze)
#3 Germany (2 gold)
#4 China (1 silver, 1 bronze)
Schedule
July 27th: Group Stage
July 28th: Group Stage
July 29th: Group Stage
July 30th: Group Stage
July 31st: Group Stage
August 1st: Group Stage
August 2nd: Group Stage
August 3rd: Group Stage ends + Lucky Loser Matches
August 4th: M/W Round of 16
August 5th: M/W Round of 16
August 6th: M/W Quarterfinals
August 7th: M/W Quarterfinals
August 8th: M/W Semifinals
August 9th: Women’s Final & 3rd Place Match
August 10th: Men’s Final & 3rd Place Match