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Message of the FIVB President
Beach Volleyball Facts and Figures
FIVB History and Mission
Beach Volleyball Olympic History and Records
Competition Format and Schedule
Competition and Draw
Venue Details
Road to Athens
Qualification Process
Men’s Participating Teams
Men’s Team Profiles
Women’s Participating Teams
Women’s Team Profiles
World Tour Honours
Rules of the Game
Referee Signals
Referee Profiles
FAQ
Glossary
FIVB and ATHOC Officials
It is a great pleasure to see Beach Volleyball at the Olympic Games again for this third edition since making its debut at the 1996 Games in Atlanta.
We know Beach Volleyball is a magic mix of sport and entertainment and is enjoying phenomenal growth in many countries, so it is pleasing to welcome the top 24 men’s and top 24 women’s international teams representing countries from five different continents to the premier event on the 2004 sporting calendar, the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
Following the highly successful Beach Volleyball event at the Sydney Games, the FIVB, in close cooperation with the IOC and ATHOC, has tried to further enhance the Beach Volleyball spectacle by providing original and attractive elements such as exciting new rules and a longer competition.
MESSAGE OF THE FIVB PRESIDENT
The Athens Beach Volleyball experience will be exceptional with all matches due to be played on centre court, in a draw which consists of night sessions and teams playing a minimum of three games, with it all taking place in a stadium, which will be preserved for future FIVB events.
Following a rigorous qualification campaign, which started in January, 2003 we are now ready to witness the best international Beach Volleyball athletes do battle for Olympic honours over 12 action-packed days.
It is clear that interest in Beach Volleyball is exploding and the sport is entering a new era of rapid expansion across all areas including television and media. The phenomenal success enjoyed at the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games and the growing trend of the Swatch-FIVB World Tour has created a wave of popularity in many countries and it is set to continue in the future. And with sponsors such as Swatch, Credit Suisse, Nike and Mikasa on board, Beach Volleyball has a superb support base to expand even further in the future and the Olympic Games is a key vehicle to achieve this objective.
The Olympics are all about team work, discipline and playing in the Olympic spirit, which perfectly suits Beach Volleyball with its crucial elements of camaraderie, fair play and harmony. The athletes, officials, volunteers, media, spectators and ATHOC have already shown those core values this year, to guarantee a successful Beach Volleyball competition once again at the summer Olympics.
You’ve witnessed the euphoria of the Olympic champions in Sydney and Atlanta, now prepare yourself for another thrilling journey as the duel for Olympic gold unfolds again.
Dr. Rubén Acosta Hernandez FIVB President Get involved. Keep the ball flying!
BEACH
VOLLEYBALL
Milestones:
1920’s - The birth of Beach Volleyball on the beaches of Santa Monica, California. 1947 - The fi rst offi cial two-person Beach Volleyball tournament held at State
Beach, California with no prize money.
1948 - The fi rst tournament with prizes was played at State Beach, California where the top teams were rewarded with a crate of Pepsi.
1974 - The fi rst money tournament was held – the US$1,500 San Diego Open with 250 spectators.
1987 - The fi rst FIVB international competition started called "The World Championship" in Rio de Janeiro. It later changed its name to the World Series in 1989-90 and the World Tour in 1996.
1993 - The International Olympic Committee recognized Beach Volleyball as an Olympic Games discipline.
1996 - First appearance (and sold out) at the Atlanta Olympic Games. 2000 - Beach Volleyball became a smash hit at the Sydney Olympic Games with
180,000 spectators and millions of TV viewers.
2001 - More than 120,000 spectators attended fi ve days of competition at the World Championship in Austria.
2003 - The SWATCH FIVB World Tour included a four-leg "Grand Slam" integrated tournament within a tournament, in Berlin, Marseille, Klagenfurt and California, each carrying US$ 600,000 in prize money and challenging the top teams to win "The Slam" and go down in history as truly great players.
FROM DEPRESSION DIVERSION TO $$ MILLION DELIGHT
Born in the depression days of the 1920s on the sandy beaches of Santa Monica, California, Beach Volleyball has soared to a multimillion dollar ex-travaganza and an Olympic sport that has capti-vated players in more than 150 countries. From those fi rst matches the game caught on 10 years later in France, Bulgaria, the Czech Repu-blic and Latvia before slotting perfectly into the Californian lifestyle in the 1950s and the pulsa-ting 60s, taking its place alongside surfi ng. U.S.A. and Brazil then played a major role in transforming "Beach" into a professional sport in the 1970s and ‘80s but it was the hard work of the FIVB President Dr. Rubén Acosta and Beach Volleyball stars such as Sinjin Smith, Karch Kiraly, Randy Stoklos, Jackie Silva and Karolyn Kirby that helped establish Beach Volleyball internationally in the 1980s and ‘90s and become a full medal sport at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. At the same time the FIVB Beach Volleyball international circuit evolved from the World Series to the World Tour and exploded in popularity in Europe, Latin America and Asia.
Now in 2004 Beach Volleyball boasts a 26-event World Tour encompassing Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas in an Olympic year with over US$ 5million in prize money up for grabs.
FIVB
HISTORY & MISSION
The seeds of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) were sown at a meeting in the Graf Coffee House in Prague when the Polish, French and (then) Czechoslovak Volleyball Federations discussed declarations of support from the Italian, Yugoslav, Romanian, and Belgian Federations suggesting an "autonomous Volleyball commission".
Subsequently, the organization of a first Constitu-tive Congress was entrusted to the President of the French Volleyball Federation, Mr Paul Libaud, and it took place in Paris from April 18 to 20, 1947 with the participation of 14 Federations. The FIVB was born ! Mr. Libaud was elected first President of the FIVB shortly afterwards and the headquarters were esta-blished in Paris, where they remained for the first 37 years until 1984.
The first World Championships were organized in 1949 for men and in 1952 for women and have since remained the biggest event in Volleyball. In 1957 the In-ternational Olympic Committee (IOC) included Volleyball as a medal sport in the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo while Beach Volleyball made its Olympic debut at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
A big turning point for the FIVB came in 1984 when President Paul Libaud, by then in his late 70's and highly acclaimed for having founded the Federation and making it a significant reality on the world sports stage, resigned while Dr. Rubén Acosta Hernandez was elected new President to succeed him at the World Congress in Long Beach, California, USA.
The FIVB moved its headquarters to Lausanne, Switzerland the same year brin-ging it closer to the IOC. Very soon after Dr. Acosta became Volleyball’s ambassa-dor, promoting the sport in worldwide competitions held in the five Confederations (Asia, Africa, Europe, South America and Norceca).
7 Now in 2004 and consisting of 218 affiliated
Federations, the FIVB governs, manages and communicates all forms of Volleyball and Beach Volleyball worldwide. It aims to develop Volleyball as a major world media and entertain-ment sport through world class planning and organisation of competitions, marketing and promotional activities.
11
BEACH
Athens 2004
Now in 2004, the Athens Games will provide another Beach Volley-ball extravaganza over 12 days with the best players from around the world putting on a superb display of athleticism in a beautiful stadium that holds 10,000 spectators. All matches will be played on centre court where teams will play a minimum of three matches and night sessions. Other new initiatives include two giant video walls providing live feeds, the addition of two Beach Volleyball courts open to the public, alternate men’s and women’s matches as opposed to single-gender sessions and an area for sponsor’s stands, which will border the eight training courts.
VOLLEYBALL OLYMPIC HISTORY AND RECORDS
1996 Olympic Beach Volleyball Tournament Medallists - Men:
Gold: Karch Kiraly and Kent Steffes (USA) as Kiraly becomes a three-time gold medallist and the fi rst indoor and outdoor Olympic champion in Volleyball.
Silver: Mike Dodd and Mike Whitmarsh (USA) Bronze: John Child and Mark Heese (Canada) Medallists -Women:
Gold: Jackie Silva and Sandra Pires (Brazil) Silver: Mônica Rodrigues and Adriana Samuel (Brazil)
Bronze: Natalie Cook and Kerri-Ann Pottharst (Australia)
2000 Olympic Beach Volleyball Tournament Medallists - Men:
Gold: Dain Blanton and Eric Fonoimoana (USA) Silver: Zé Marco and Ricardo Costa (Brazil) Bronze: Jörg Ahmann and Axel Hager (Germany) Medallists -Women:
Gold: Natalie Cook and Kerri-Ann Pottharst (Australia)
Silver: Adriana Behar and Shelda Bede (Brazil) Bronze: Sandra Pires and Adriana Samuel (Brazil)
When the Beach Volleyball competition at the Athens Olympic Games begins on August 14 everyone will be looking forward to 12 days of action-packed fun on the sand. But having got to this point one can look back at not only the last 19 months of a fascinating qualifying procedure but also 14 years of Olympic Beach Volleyball history. For while Beach Volleyball is one of the most popu-lar Olympic sports, a lot of its success can be put down to Olympic tradition.
The fantastic spectacle of Olympic Beach Volley-ball today started in 1992 when the International Olympic Committee allowed Beach Volleyball to participate as a demonstration sport at the Barce-lona Olympic Games.
Two years later and recognition is given to Beach Volleyball as an Olympic discipline at an IOC mee-ting in Monaco, opening the door for the sport to participate in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
2004 Olympic Beach Volleyball numbers: Total number of teams: 24 men and 24 women. Total number of athletes: 48 men and 48 women.
Total number of matches: 104, comprising of 52 men’s and 52 women’s matches.
Atlanta 1996
The fi rst Olympic Beach Volleyball competition and what a mar-vellous event. Twenty-four men’s teams and eighteen women’s teams competed for Olympic medals on Atlanta Beach in July, in a 10,000-seat stadium and over 107,000 spectators took in the six-day competition in an event that was a complete ‘sell out’. Some 600 athletes representing 42 countries took part in the Olympic qualifying process.
Sydney 2000
Four years after the overwhelming success of the fi rst Olympic experience, Beach Volleyball became even more of a hit at Sydney 2000.
The top 24 men’s and 24 women’s teams in the world competed on Bondi Beach in a wonderful venue with a stadium of 10,000 spectators and modern facilities offering a top-class event to the Olympic family: players, fans, media, sponsors, etc. Teams from more than 50 countries took part in the qualifying process.
COMPETITION
COMPETITION SYSTEM Preliminary Round
Six (6) pools of four (4) teams will be formed in the Preliminary Round, to determine 16 teams advancing to the ’Round of 16’. Allocation of teams in each pool will be in accordance with FIVB regulations. The first two (2) teams of each pool, plus the best four of the teams ranked third in their pools will advance to the Single Elimination Phase.
Round of 16
The ‘Round of 16’ will be played in a single elimination format, to qualify eight (8) teams for the quarterfinals. Seeding of the teams after the Preliminary round will be in accordance with FIVB regulations.
Semifinals
The four (4) winners of the quarterfinals will then advance to the semifinals. Finals
The winners of the semifinals will play the gold medal match and the losers will play the bronze medal match.
FORMAT AND SCHEDULE
August 22 August 23 Men’s Semifinals 19:00 - 19:50 Men’s Semifinals 20:00 - 20:50 Women’s Semifinals 21:00 - 21:50 Women’s Semifinals 22:00 - 22:50 Men’s Quarterfinals 14:30 - 15:20 Men’s Quarterfinals 15:30 - 16:20 Women’s Quarterfinals 16:30 - 17:20 Women’s Quarterfinals 17:30 - 18:20 Men’s Quarterfinals 20:00 - 20:50 Men’s Quarterfinals 21:00 - 21:50 Women’s Quarterfinals 22:00 - 22:50 Women’s Quarterfinals 23:00 - 23:50 August 24
Women’s Bronze Medal Match 19:30 - 20:20 Women’s Gold Medal Match 21:00 - 21:50 Women’s Medal Ceremony 22:02 - 22:12
August 25
Men’s Bronze Medal Match 19:30 - 20:20 Men’s Gold Medal Match 21:00 - 21:50 Men’s Medal Ceremony 22:02 - 22:12
The total number of matches will be 104, comprising 52 men’s and 52 women’s mat-ches from August 14-25 with the top 24 teams from both genders doing battle in a pool play format followed by single elimination, a similar system to which had been used on the Swatch-FIVB World Tour in 2002 and 2003.
August 14-19
Men’s Preliminary Round 09:00 - 09:50 Men’s Preliminary Round 10:00 - 10:50 Women’s Preliminary Round 11:00 - 11:50 Women’s Preliminary Round 12:00 - 12:50 Men’s Preliminary Round 14:30 - 15:20 Men’s Preliminary Round 15:30 - 16:20 Women’s Preliminary Round 16:30 - 17:20 Women’s Preliminary Round 17:30 - 18:20 Men’s Preliminary Round 20:00 - 20:50 Men’s Preliminary Round 21:00 - 21:50 Women’s Preliminary Round 22:00 - 22:50 Women’s Preliminary Round 23:00 - 23:50
August 20-21 Men’s Round of 16 14:30 - 15:20 Men’s Round of 16 15:30 - 16:20 Women’s Round of 16 16:30 - 17:20 Women’s Round of 16 17:30 - 18:20 Men’s Round of 16 20:00 - 20:50 Men’s Round of 16 21:00 - 21:50 Women’s Round of 16 22:00 - 22:50 Women’s Round of 16 23:00 - 23:50 Beach Volleyball Schedule at the Faliro Coastal Zone Olympic Complex (All times are local time)
15
DRAW
MEN’S FINAL PHASE
Aug 20-21 Aug 22 Aug 23 Aug 25
COMPETITION POOLS MEN’S PRELIMINARY PHASE
Pool A 1 Set Set 2 Set 3 SetScore Pool B Set 1 Set 2 3 Set SetScore Pool C Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 SetScore
Qualification for the single elimination round (round of 16) are the following: A) rank 1 in each pool, B) rank 2 in each pool,
C) the best four (4) rank 3 teams based on match points, set ratios, point's ratio.
Order for the teams within the pools 1. Number of matches won. 2. Head to head
2A. Two teams: the winner finishes ahead.
2B. Three teams: The third team is decided by point’s ratio for the matches involving those three teams, the first two teams are then decided by head to head. Pool D 1 Set Set 2 Set 3 SetScore Pool E Set 1 Set 2 3 Set SetScore Pool F Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 SetScore
Standings Win Loss Pts 1
2 3 4
Standings Win Loss Pts 1
2 3 4
Standings Win Loss Pts 1
2 3 4
Standings Win Loss Pts 1
2 3 4
Standings Win Loss Pts 1
2 3 4
Standings Win Loss Pts 1 2 3 4 ���� � ���� � ���� � �� ���� � ����� �� �� �� �� � ���� � ����� �� �� �� �� � ���� � ����� �� �� �� �� � ���� � ���� � ���� � ����� �� �� �� �� � �� ���� � ����� �� �� �� � ���� � ���� � ���� � ����� �� �� �� �� � �� ���� � ����� �� �� �� � ���� � ����� �� �� �� �� � �� ���� � ����� �� �� �� � ���� � ���� � ���� � ����� �� �� �� �� �� �� ���� � ����� �� �� �� � ���� � ���� � ���� � ����� �� �� �� �� � ���� � ����� �� �� �� �� � ���� � �� ���� � ����� �� �� �� �� � ���� � ���� � ���� ����� ������ ����� ������ ����� ��������� ����� ��������� �����
DRAW
WOMEN’S FINAL PHASE
Aug 20-21 Aug 22 Aug 23 Aug 24
COMPETITION POOLS WOMEN’S PRELIMINARY PHASE
Pool A 1 Set Set 2 Set 3 SetScore Pool B Set 1 Set 2 3 Set SetScore Pool C Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 SetScore
Qualification for the single elimination round (round of 16) are the following: A) rank 1 in each pool, B) rank 2 in each pool,
C) the best four (4) rank 3 teams based on match points, set ratios, point's ratio.
Order for the teams within the pools 1. Number of matches won. 2. Head to head
2A. Two teams: the winner finishes ahead.
2B. Three teams: The third team is decided by point’s ratio for the matches involving those three teams, the first two teams are then decided by head to head. Pool D 1 Set Set 2 Set 3 SetScore Pool E Set 1 Set 2 3 Set SetScore Pool F Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 SetScore
Standings Win Loss Pts 1
2 3 4
Standings Win Loss Pts 1
2 3 4
Standings Win Loss Pts 1
2 3 4
Standings Win Loss Pts 1
2 3 4
Standings Win Loss Pts 1
2 3 4
Standings Win Loss Pts 1 2 3 4 ���� � ���� � ���� � �� ���� � ����� �� �� �� �� � ���� � ����� �� �� �� �� � ���� � ����� �� �� �� �� � ���� � ���� � ���� � ����� �� �� �� �� � �� ���� � ����� �� �� �� � ���� � ���� � ���� � ����� �� �� �� �� � �� ���� � ����� �� �� �� � ���� � ����� �� �� �� �� � �� ���� � ����� �� �� �� � ���� � ���� � ���� � ����� �� �� �� �� �� �� ���� � ����� �� �� �� � ���� � ���� � ���� � ����� �� �� �� �� � ���� � ����� �� �� �� �� � ���� � �� ���� � ����� �� �� �� �� � ���� � ���� � ���� ����� ������ ����� ������ ����� ��������� ����� ��������� �����
19
VENUE
DETAILS
The Olympic Beach Volleyball Centre in Faliro will consist of a new court with a 10,000 seating capacity.
The fascinating sport of Beach Volleyball will become a dominant spectacle in the warm and sandy environment of South Attica, at the Faliro Coastal Zone.
Quick facts & Dates for Olympic Beach Volleyball Centre
Competition Schedule: August 14-25 Athletes participating: 96 Spectator capacity:
10,000 seats (4,300 permanent, 800 under cover) Total land surface: 123,000 sq m
Number of courts:
9 (1 main , 6 training and 2 warm-up courts) Distance from Olympic Village: 25 km
Travel time from Olympic Village: 35 minutes in special motorway lane.
Press seats: 110 written press, 30 photographers Weather in August: Mean daily max/min tempera-ture: 33,20 C / 20,70 C
Burn time: Between 11:00-17:00
Spectator Services: Olympic products selling points, public phones, vending machines for mo-bile telephone prepaid vouchers and connection packs, ticket resolution offi ce, information desk, stroller storage area, lost and found area, clinic, water coolers, food concessions, WCs, environment information desk
Olympic Beach Volleyball Stadium 1. Field of Play (FoP)
2. Athletes’ Lounge 3. Sport Information Desk 4. Accreditation Stand 5. Spectators’ Stand 6. Athletes’ Entry (FoP) 7. Athletes’ Exit (FoP) 8. Ball Retrievers Entry (FoP) 9. Guest Area
Olympic Beach Volleyball Venue 1. Field of Play
2. Warm up Court - Contingency Competition Court 3. Warm up Court 4. Training 5. Changing Rooms 6. Medical 7. Doping Control 8. Mixed Zone 9. Competition Management 10. Athletes’ Drop-off 11. FIVB TDs - CC Offi ces 12. Athletes’ Relaxation Areas 13. Venue Press Centre 14. Athletes’ Entrance 9 9 2 2 2 2 2 3 4 5 1 8 5 6 5 7 1 2 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 85 6 12 5 7 9 11 10 13 8 14
ROAD TO
ATHENS
Swatch-FIVB World Tour winners during the Olympic Qualifi cation period from January 2003 to July 2004
2003 - WOMEN
• June - Rhodes Open 1) Ana Paula- Pires BRA 2) Behar-Shelda BRA 3) Walsh-May USA • June - Gstaad Open 1) Walsh-May USA
2) Ana Paula- Pires BRA 3) Behar-Shelda BRA • June - Berlin Grand Slam 1) Ana Paula- Pires BRA
2) McPeak-Youngs USA 3) Behar-Shelda BRA • July - Stavanger Open 1) Ana Paula- Pires BRA 2) Walsh-May USA 3) Behar-Shelda BRA • July - Marseille Grand Slam 1) Walsh-May USA
2) Ana Paula- Pires BRA 3) Behar-Shelda BRA • July - Klagenfurt Grand Slam 1) Walsh-May USA
2) Ana Paula- Pires BRA 3) Behar-Shelda BRA • Aug.- Osaka Open 1) Ana Paula- Pires BRA
2) Behar-Shelda BRA 3) Cook-Sanderson AUS • Aug. - Lianyungang Open 1) Kadijk-Leenstra NED
2) Lahme-Müsch GER 3) Cook-Sanderson AUS • Aug. - Bali Open 1) Jia-Fei CHN 2) Peraza-Grasset CUB
3) Celbova-Novakova CZE • Sept. - Milan Open 1) Jia-Fei CHN
2) Behar-Shelda BRA 3) Mason-DeNecochea USA • Sept. – Los Angeles Grand Slam 1) Walsh-May USA
2) Ana Paula- Pires BRA 3) Cook-Sanderson AUS • Oct. - FIVB World Championships presented by
Swatch Rio de Janeiro 1) Walsh-May USA 2) Behar-Shelda BRA 3) Cook-Sanderson AUS
2003 - MEN
• June - Rhodes Open 1) Blanton-Nygaard USA 2) Benjamin-Araujo BRA 3) Berger-Doppler AUT • June - Gstaad Open 1) Benjamin-Araujo BRA
2) Dieckmann-Reckerman GER 3) Kobel-Heuscher SUI • June - Berlin Grand Slam 1) Harley-Franco BRA
2) Baracetti-Conde ARG 3) Ricardo-Emanuel BRA • July - Stavanger Open 1) Ricardo-Emanuel BRA
2) Baracetti-Conde ARG 3) Prosser-Williams AUS • July - Marseille Grand Slam 1) Ricardo-Emanuel BRA
2) M Laciga-P Laciga SUI 3) Blanton-Nygaard USA • July - Espinho Open 1) Ricardo-Emanuel BRA
2) Kjemperud-Hoidalen NOR 3) Schact-Stack AUS • July - Klagenfurt Grand Slam 1) Benjamin-Araujo BRA
2) Metzger-Wong USA 3) Kobel-Heuscher SUI • Sept. - Mallorca Open 1) Benjamin-Araujo BRA
2) Dieckmann-Reckerman GER 3) Baracetti-Conde ARG
• Sept. - Los Angeles Grand Slam 1) Ricardo-Emanuel BRA
2) Heyer-Egger SUI 3) Whitmarsh-Ceman USA • Oct. - FIVB World Championships presented by Swatch
Rio de Janeiro 1) Ricardo-Emanuel BRA 2) Holdren-Metzger USA 3) Benjamin-Araujo BRA
2004 - WOMEN
• March - Fortaleza Open 1) Walsh-May USA 2) Adriana Behar-Shelda BRA
3) Felisberta Silva-França BRA • May – Rhodes Open 1) Walsh-May USA
2) McPeak-Youngs USA 3) Adriana Behar-Shelda BRA • May – Shanghai Open 1) McPeak-Youngs USA
2) Jordan-Davis USA 3) Adriana Behar-Shelda BRA • June - Osaka Open 1) Adriana Behar-Shelda BRA
2) Cook-Sanderson AUS 3) Schnyder-Benoît-Kuhn SUI • June –Gstaad Open 1) Walsh-May USA 2) Adriana
Behar-Shelda BRA 3) McPeak-Youngs USA • June – Berlin Grand Slam 1) McPeak-Youngs USA
2) Jordan-Davis USA 3) Walsh-Wacholder USA • June – Stavanger Open 1) McPeak-Youngs USA
2) Jordan-Davis USA 3) Walsh-Wacholder USA • July - Mallorca Open 1) Felisberta Silva-França BRA
2) Lahme-Müsch GER 3) Novakova-Celbova CZE
2004 - MEN
• March - Salvador Open 1) Ricardo-Emanuel BRA 2) Kobel-Heuscher SUI 3) Baracetti-Conde ARG • March – Cape Town Open 1) Tande-Franco BRA 2) Ricardo-Emanuel BRA 3) Benjamin-Harley BRA • May – Lianyungang Open 1) Bosma-Herrera ESP
2) Ricardo-Emanuel BRA 3) Cunha-Pará BRA • May – Budva Open 1) Ricardo-Emanuel BRA
2) Dieckmann M.-Reckermann GER 3) Heuscher-Kobel SUI
• June – Espinho Open 1) Ricardo-Emanuel BRA 2) Kjemperud-Hoidalen NOR
3) Benjamin-Marcio Araujo BRA • June – Carolina Open 1) Cunha-Pará BRA
2) Baracetti-Conde ARG 3) Tande-Franco BRA • June – Gstaad Open 1) Heuscher-Kobel SUI
2) Dieckmann M.-Reckermann GER 3) Ricardo-Emanuel BRA
• June – Berlin Grand Slam 1) Dieckmann M.-Reckermann GER 2) Laciga P.-Laciga M. SUI 3) Baracetti-Conde ARG
• June – Stavanger Open 1) Ricardo-Emanuel BRA 2) Klemperer-Rademacher GER 3) Tande-Franco ARG • July - Mallorca Open 1) Laciga P.-Laciga M. SUI
2) Heyer-Egger M. SUI
Qualifi cation Process
The FIVB World Championships presented by Swatch, the Swatch-FIVB World Tour events and the recognized Continental Championships Final organized between January 2003 and 11th July 2004 have been part of the Olympic qualifi cation pro-cess. The best eight results of each team based on points were used to determine the best 24 teams per gender (with a maximum of two teams per country) to take part in the Beach Volleyball competition at the Olympic Beach Volleyball Centre. All continents have been granted a vacancy following a qualifi cation process which included representatives from 60 countries.
Qualifi cation criteria included: Olympic Qualifi cation Ranking (23 vacancies)
The fi rst 23 teams following the order of the Olympic Qualifi cation Ranking es-tablished by the FIVB. The highest ranked teams (maximum two per country) are automatically selected.
One vacancy will be granted to the host nation. This team will be the highest ranked host nation team not yet qualifi ed as per above. One additional host nation team may also qualify if they are included in the fi rst 23 teams of the Olympic Qualifi cation Ranking as per above. The maximum number of qualifi ed teams (two per country) will also apply to the host nation.
In order to respect the universality principle of the Olympic Games, in the event that a continent does not have any teams qualifi ed, the 23rd place (and, if appli-cable, 22nd place, etc) of the Olympic Qualifi cation Ranking will be granted as a wild card to the highest ranked eligible pair from that continent.
