Beach volleyballers eager to compete at sport’s shrine
Copacabana Beach’s 12,000-seat arena expected to be filled to rafters
For beach volleyball players, this is like playing at hockey’s Bell Centre in Montreal, baseball’s Yankee Stadium or golf’s Augusta National.
When the Olympic tournament gets underway Aug. 6 in Rio de Janeiro, the players will be setting and spiking, digging and diving in the sands of Copacabana, one of the world’s most famous beaches. It’s the most popular tourist beach in the world, ranked ahead of those in Hawaii, Mexico, Australia and Jamaica.
To many of the athletes, it’s a shrine.
“It’s legendary,” says Canadian Olympian Josh Binstock. “It’s one thing to make it to the Olympics in general because it’s always great and special, but to go to a place where it’s legendary is amazing. It’s the top sport in the country, next to soccer, so the fans there will be on a different level than any other country in the world for beach volleyball.”
The Copacabana Beach venue, with its 12,000-seat arena, will undoubtedly be packed every day of the Olympics. The excitement of the sport, combined with the festive atmosphere that surrounds it, make beach volleyball a big-time attraction at any Olympics.
“The last Olympics were in London and it’s not really known for beach volleyball,” Canadian Kristina Valjas says with a laugh. The Toronto native will compete alongside Victoria’s Jamie Broder in Rio.
“They set it up and it was special in its own way, but this is perfect for beach volleyball. The whole country understands the sport, they have their favourite athletes, they are very lively in the crowd. It’s going to be a totally awesome atmosphere and experience.”
Round robin games will be played from 10 a.m. until 1 a.m., with the last match starting at midnight Atlantic time, which means plenty of beach volleyball will be shown during prime time television hours in the United States and Canada. These men and women will be stars.
“Beach volleyball is pretty much one of the premier events in general, but in Brazil I can only imagine the magnitude,” Binstock says.
Binstock, 35, and his partner Sam Schachter, 26, were the last team to qualify for the Olympic tournament. The Richmond Hill, Ont., athletes had to beat Sam Pedlow and Grant O’Gorman in a final Canadian qualifier on July 16. They are one of four Canadian teams in Rio.
“The beauty of the situation now with Canadian volleyball is I can honestly say I feel that all four teams have a legitimate shot at medalling,” Binstock says. “Every team that’s in the Olympics, men and women, have been on the podium on the world tour in the past and with all the same teams that are in the Olympics playing in those tournaments. We know that every team has the opportunity to realistically medal. It’s not just kind of a pipe dream.”
Canada has won only one medal in Olympic competition, a bronze, and that came from John Child and Mark Heese when beach volleyball made its debut in 1996 in Atlanta.
One of the reasons the sport is so popular in Brazil is the host country has won 11 Olympic medals, including two gold, since 1996. But it’s also because it is a tailor-made sport for spectators, with finely toned, highly skilled athletes competing in beach wear.
“It’s an event that sells out every game, no matter who is playing, because of the environment and atmosphere, the fun,” Binstock says. “There’s a lot of music going on, they bring in dancers. It’s a modern, new-ish sport. But I think people also get an appreciation for how serious and professional the sport is in terms of the difficulty. That’s what draws so many people to watch the sport.”
While some high-profile athletes — such as tennis star Milos Raonic and golfers Rory McIlroy, Jason Day and Jordan Spieth — have pulled out of the Olympics because of health concerns related to the mosquito-borne Zika virus, and many other people are concerned about violence in Rio, the athletes say beach volleyball players will be right at home at Copacabana.
“In terms of health with the Zika virus, I’ve been there twice now in the last year and I didn’t see a single mosquito,” Valjas says. “And we were very conscious of it, so I’m not too worried about it for the Olympic Games. We are right by the ocean. It’s totally fine.”