# Olympics Beach Volleyball **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 1, 2012, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-beach-volleyball/630009 "2012-08-01T00:25:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-beach-volleyball/630009/1 "2012-08-01T00:25:21Z")
Was beach Volleyball played in countries like Switzerland, Germany, Austria, etc. BEFORE it became an Olympic sport? I know these countries have beautiful _lake_ beaches, but they are not places where one usually thinks beach sports are played. I must say the women from these countries give the more traditional “beach” countries like USA, Australia, Brazil, etc. all they can handle during the matches. And its one sport that will never get cancelled (like baseball and softball). I’ve heard that the TV ratings for the women’s matches are through the roof. Nothing like young women jumping around in swimsuits to boast the viewer count. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-beach-volleyball/630009/2 "2012-08-01T01:20:40Z")
i just want to know why the guys aren’t in skimpy little uniforms!? really a bit of equality here. i’m gonna bet on women’s beach volley ball not being allowed in some very sandy nations. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-beach-volleyball/630009/3 "2012-08-01T01:33:11Z")
> [@rocking\_chair](#): > > i just want to know why the guys aren’t in skimpy little uniforms!? really a bit of equality here. Because nuts are fugly. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-beach-volleyball/630009/4 "2012-08-01T02:07:14Z")
> [@Mangosteen](#): > > Was beach Volleyball played in countries like Switzerland, Germany, Austria, etc. BEFORE it became an Olympic sport? I believe these are the current requirements: > [@](#): > > Starting in the year 2000, those sports seeking inclusion or currently on the summer Olympic program must meet the following criteria: men’s sports must be played in at least 75 countries and on four continents; for women, the sport must be contested in at least 40 countries and on three continents. The previously approved standards – which are in effect for the Atlanta Games – were 50 countries and three continents for men’s sports and 35 countries and three continents for women’s sports. I suspect beach volleyball would have been played in North America, South America, and Oceania for the women, probably Asia or Europe included for the men. ---
**Author:** ![Bartman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@Bartman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bartman)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-beach-volleyball/630009/5 "2012-08-01T03:15:26Z")
> [@Mangosteen](#): > > Was beach Volleyball played in countries like Switzerland, Germany, Austria, etc. BEFORE it became an Olympic sport? Why not? I just looked up the history of an annual Denver, Colorado beach volleyball tournament. They had results going back to 1978. Not a lot of beaches in Colorado. So if we can have a 30 plus year tradition, no reason the Swiss couldn’t either. And looking at records, a Norwegian team won the Men’s FIVB World Tour in 1994. So while the sport has been dominated by US and Brazilian teams there were teams from other places. But from what I can tell, international play was still pretty weaksauce when it was approved for Olympics inclusion. In '93 (the year it was approved), the US had 55 professional beach volleyball tournaments; internationally there were 4 tournaments (3 in Brazil and 1 in Japan); and the European league held a single tournament. So my guess is, that provided the minimum requirements for 3 continents. And there were enough individual teams (you only need 2 people after all) from enough different places to meet the country requirements. But when 55 of the 60 pro events in the world are held in a single country… well it seems likely that only that country really has a strong tradition in the sport. Compare that to 2011, when the US only had 31 pro tournaments, the International league had 35, Europe had 24, and Latin America had 18. So obviously global interest, and European interest in particular has grown in the past couple of decades. Not too surprising to see US/Brazilian dominance being challenged. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-beach-volleyball/630009/6 "2012-08-01T11:49:08Z")
I want to see the Saudi Arabian team in burquas. I’ll bet that match attracts few spectators:D ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-beach-volleyball/630009/7 "2012-08-01T12:08:36Z")
They ruined it. Last time I saw it on TV, the girls were wearing long pants and shirts. The game is such a bore that without skin, it becomes unwatchable. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-beach-volleyball/630009/8 "2012-08-01T12:34:28Z")
> [@Mangosteen](#): > > Was beach Volleyball played in countries like Switzerland, Germany, Austria, etc. BEFORE it became an Olympic sport? > > I know these countries have beautiful _lake_ beaches, but they are not places where one usually thinks beach sports are played. While Switzerland and Austria are landlocked, Germany does have quite a long coastline with lots of ocean beaches as well. Admittedly they are on the North Sea and the Baltic, which are not exactly tropical, but plenty of the beaches are popular with Germans who wear even [less](http://en.sylt.de/sea/on-the-beach/sylts-beaches.html) than the beach volleyball players. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-beach-volleyball/630009/9 "2012-08-01T13:12:01Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Last time I saw it on TV, the girls were wearing long pants and shirts. It was cold and raw in London the past few days. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-beach-volleyball/630009/10 "2012-08-01T13:23:36Z")
Hope that’s all the reason- the sport is a big bore otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-beach-volleyball/630009/11 "2012-08-01T13:44:29Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Hope that’s all the reason- the sport is a big bore otherwise. Yes, it was front-page news here in England last month - the announcement that the players would be allowed to cover up if the temperature dropped below 16ºC. After a brief warm spell in the run-up to the Games, it’s now gone back to the crappy weather we’ve had for most of this summer (and the last five summers before this one, to be honest!) I disagree with you about the sport though - I think it would still be entertaining even if they were wearing baggy tracksuits. ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-beach-volleyball/630009/12 "2012-08-01T14:55:34Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Yes, it was front-page news here in England last month - the announcement that the players would be allowed to cover up if the temperature dropped below 16ºC. That in and of itself shows that the Olympics are whoring out female athletes rather than promoting sport. Why would the players need to be “allowed” to cover up? There is no competitive advantage in wearing a T-shirt. And its super sexist to require women to dress scantily while simultaneously requiring men to wear a shirt. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-beach-volleyball/630009/13 "2012-08-01T16:15:34Z")
> [@sachertorte](#): > > That in and of itself shows that the Olympics are whoring out female athletes rather than promoting sport. No one has ever claimed otherwise. It’s been part of beach volleyball since early on. And it’s not the Olympics, it’s the governing body of the sport. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-beach-volleyball/630009/14 "2012-08-01T18:44:50Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > No one has ever claimed otherwise. It’s been part of beach volleyball since early on. And it’s not the Olympics, it’s the governing body of the sport. Yes, there’s a common misconception that the Olympics organization makes the rules for the sports. With very rare exceptions, they don’t. The governing bodies of the individual sports makes the rules. All the IOC says is that each sport must have a governing body. ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-beach-volleyball/630009/15 "2012-08-01T19:33:38Z")
Okay. Fine. That doesn’t make it better. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-beach-volleyball/630009/16 "2012-08-02T00:03:22Z")
exactly right. skimpy uniforms for all!! thank og for water polo! the bonnets are just so very twee. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-beach-volleyball/630009/17 "2012-08-02T01:25:29Z")
oooooh, may and walsh lose a set wearing the beach volleyball “burka” uniform!!! perhaps their set streak would have gone on if they were wearing the volleyball “bikini” uniform. they won the game, so that undefeated streak goes on. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-beach-volleyball/630009/18 "2012-08-02T15:52:54Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > It was cold and raw in London the past few days. No more olympics in London then! ---
**Author:** ![Carmady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f04885/32.png) [@Carmady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carmady)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-beach-volleyball/630009/19 "2012-08-02T19:22:26Z")
> [@rocking\_chair](#): > > i just want to know why the guys aren’t in skimpy little uniforms!? really a bit of equality here. Technically, equality would mean the women be bare-chested… but I don’t think that is what you meant. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-beach-volleyball/630009/20 "2012-08-02T19:41:42Z")
> [@Carmady](#): > > Technically, equality would mean the women be bare-chested… but I don’t think that is what you meant. How so? The men wear shirts and shorts. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympics-beach-volleyball/630009.md?page=2)