London 2012 blog

Think Beach Volleyball, and what do you see? The depilated, golden amazons of Copacabana, perhaps, the impeccable cool of California's beach scene – or maybe those female Volleyballers in Sydney 2000, etched on so many (male?) minds. Austria, safe to say, does not spring readily to mind.

But lack of coastline and tropical climate have not prevented Austria getting a men's team through to a quarter final at the Beijing Games. It’s one of those wonderfully meritocratic moments – defying geography, culture and probability – in which the Olympic and Paralympic Games abound. Just where exactly does the team practise?

Last night I watched Austria’s beach boys – seeded 24th out of 24 teams – in action against Brazil at Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground, a beautiful recreational area in the east of Beijing. Talk about David and Goliath.

It was a wonderfully accessible occasion. Going through the park to get to the Volleyball stadium, we passed families taking an evening stroll while enjoying the Olympic atmosphere, people playing ping pong on outdoor tables under the floodlit trees, and teams of teenagers on a public Beach Volleyball court constructed outside the stadium - a nice way of involving members of the public without tickets. It's a little corner of Brazil transplanted to Beijing.

The stadium is a temporary venue constructed specially for the Games, though you’d never know: it’s a sturdy coliseum of steel. On the sand court below, four barefoot guys were walloping (note to self: find out correct technical term) a ball across a high net, swooping and diving in spectacularly balletic rallies. Unlike the women, who wear bikinis, the men wear long shorts and vests – there's an interesting double standard. Even I managed to grasp the rules quickly: a match comprises the best of three sets, each of 21 points.

A soundtrack cheesier than a fondue was blaring from the sound system, while a  DJ yelled messages of encouragement in English and Chinese, and graphics - ‘Great spike!’, ‘Excellent defence!’ – flashed up on the giant screens.

After a certain number of points there was a ‘technical timeout’, which involved straightening the court – marked out by tapes in the sand – and smoothing it over with rakes. It all seemed fabulously untechnical.

Cue a troop of bikini-clad cheerleaders who embarked on a dance routine which would have put Hot Gossip to shame. Two giant inflatable Fu-Wa (the Chinese mascots) bumbled on court and attempted to join in. Fu-Wa as a species are not built for sand - not having any toes is a bit of a problem - and they promptly fell over. Assisted, to their obvious delight, by the bikini ladies, they eventually stumbled off and play resumed. It was as surreal as an international sporting event gets.

Austria put up a valiant fight, but Brazil reigned victorious in the end. As for me, I was completely won over by my first Beach Volleyball match. With London’s Beach Volleyball competition set to take place in the stately surroundings of Horse Guards Parade – guaranteeing an equally memorable experience – it definitely won't be my last.



A Fu-Wa struts his stuff during 'technical timeout' at a beach volleyball match.