The origins of Beach Volleyball from 1895 -1920
-The game of Volleyball which gave also the 'root' of Beach Volleyball was invented in 1895 by an American named William G. Morgan who was the Physical Director of the Holyoke Y.M.C.A. Morgan's blended the elements of basketball, baseball, tennis and handball to create the game for his classes of businessmen that desired a new game with less physical contact than basketball.
-The original name of the game was Mintonette, which was derived from Badminton, since the nature of the game was to volley a ball back and forth across the net; Morgan agreed to change the name to Volleyball. The game was invented just four years after basket ball.
-In 1900 Canada became the first country outside of the USA to take up Volleyball, followed by Cuba in 1906, Japan in 1908, China in 1911, France in 1915 (during world War 1 on the beaches of Normandy and Brittany) and the true birth of beach Volleyball most likely began on the beaches of Waikiki Beach in Hawaii in the same year, Italy, Russia & India in 1917, Rest of Europe 1918 via the American Expeditionary Forces.
-1920 saw the first annual doubles Championships of Philadelphia held at Germantown YMCA and in 1922 the first Volleyball Federation was founded in Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria. - There are unconfirmed whispers of men's teams playing on the beach in Hawaii, but most accounts place the sport's origin in Santa Monica, California where the first Volleyball courts are put up on the beach.
1930
- Beach Volleyball appeared in Palavas, Lacanau and Royan (France), around Sofia (Bulgaria), Prague (Czech Republic) and Riga (Latvia).
- The first two-men Beach Volleyball game was played in Santa Monica, California.
1947
- The first official two-man Beach Volleyball tournament held at State Beach (CA) with no Prize Money was organised by Holtzman and won by Saenez-Harris.
- American soldiers played beacg volleyball on the European shores for the first time.
1948
- The first tournament held at State Beach, Californiarewardard the best teams with a crate of Pepsi!
1950s
- The first circuit is organised on 5 beaches in California: Santa Barbara, State, Corona del Mar, Laguna and San Diego.
- In Brazil, the first tournament sponsored by a newspaper publishing company takes place. 1920s, 30s & 40s: the birth of a new sport
Most accounts place the origin of Beach Volleyball in California where families were seen playing 6 against 6. There are also rumours that six-man teams were playing on Hawaiian beaches.
All you needed was a bathing suit, a net, a ball and sand to play Beach Volleyball. The fever catches on rapidly in the USA where people could escape the depression by going to the Beach.
1957
- Bernie Holtzman and Gene Selznick win an event that featured Greta Tyson, star of "Pyjama Tops", as "Queen of the Beach" Beach Volleyball was becoming more than just a sport, it was turning into a real show.
1950s & 60s: the California lifestyle
Beach Volleyball becomes part of the California lifestyle, much like surfing. The sport is associated with the beach, the sun and modern music. Even the Beatles come to Sorrento Beach, California and pass the ball around and Marilyn Monroe talks about Beach Volleyball.
Open tournaments were held on eight beaches in California: Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, State, Manhattan, Corona del Mar, Laguna, San Diego and even on Lake Tahoe's shores. The first Manhattan Beach Open took place. President Kennedy attended the first official beach volleyball event in Sorrento Beach, Los Angeles.
1970s & 80s: the international growth
Beach Volleyball reaches international level with U.S.A. and Brazil leading the way. The sport becomes professional and international.
1974
- First commercially sponsored tournament takes place in San Diego (CA) with 250 spectators. A total 1,500 US$ Prize Money is offered. The winners are Dennis Hare & Fred Zuelich.
1976
- Inaugural Championships of Beach Volleyball was staged at State Beach, Pacific Palisades (CA) with 5,000 US$ Prize Money. Menges & Lee win the tournament in front of 30,000 spectators.
1977
- Pro Beach Volleyball tournaments are held in Santa Cruz, Lake Tahoe and Los Angeles, USA.
1980
- First sponsored tour in the USA with 7 events in the calendar and 52,000 US$ Prize Money.
1982
- Beach Volleyball becomes popular on the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema in Rio de Janeiro (BRA).
- The USA tour becomes national with tournaments held from Denver to New York and Clearwater (FL)
1986
- First international Beach Volleyball exhibition in Rio de Janeiro with 5,000 spectators.
- Brazilian Volleyball Champions, like Renan, Bad, Montanaro, William, Jackie Silva, Isabel Salgado, Vera Mossa, Regina Uchoa, along with the 1984 Olympic Volleyball Champion, Pat Powers (USA) and the King of the Beach, Sinjin Smith(USA) become leading figures in the world-wide growth of Beach Volleyball.
1987
- The first international FIVB sanctioned Beach Volleyball tournament was held at Ipanema Beach (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) with 22,000 Prize Money. Sinjin Smith & Stoklos (USA) win the tournament.
1988
- 1 FIVB Men's tournament is held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with 51,500 US$ Prize Money. The winners are: Kiraly & Powers (USA).
1989
- 1 FIVB Men's tournament was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with 50,000 US$ Prize Money. The winners are: Smith & Stoklos (USA).
1989/90
- 3 FIVB Beach Volleyball events (World Series)
- 140,000 US$ total Prize Money
- The first FIVB Beach Volleyball International Circuit, named the World Series, was created with men's tournaments in Brazil, Italy & Japan. The Brazilian event sells out with thousands of people outside the stadium wanting to get in.
- 1989/90 Men World Champions: Smith & Stoklos (USA)
1990/91
- Four FIVB beach volleyball events (World Series) US$ 200,000 total in prize money and FIVB bonus pool.
- France, Italy, Japan and Brazil hosted men's FIVB Beach Volleyball events.
- September 1990: the first FIVB Beach Volleyball World Council gathers in Lausanne to determine the programme for beach volleyball.
1991/92
- Seven FIVB beach volleyball tournaments (World Series)with a total of US$ 600,000 in prize money and FIVB bonus pool. Australia & Spain hosted FIVB beach volleyball events for the first time.
1992/93
- Six FIVB beach volleyball tournaments (World Series) totalling US$ 950,000 in prize money and FIVB bonus pool.
- Beach Volleyball was played as a demonstration sport in Olympic Games were held in Barcelona. The first women's FIVB beach volleyball World Series took place in Almeria.
- USA team Smith and Stoklos enter into the legend by becoming World Champions for the fifth time.
- A Beach Volleyball Department was created within the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB).
1993/94
- Six FIVB beach volleyball tournaments (World Series) US$ 880,000 total in prize money & FIVB bonus pool.
- Brazil, USA & Chile hosted women's FIVB beach volleyball events.
- His Excellency Juan Antonio Samaranch, IOC President, Billy Payne, ACOG President and IOC members attended the February FIVB beach volleyball finals held in Rio de Janeiro, as well as 140,000 spectators (in one week).
- 24th September 1994 : Recognition is given to beach volleyball as an Olympic discipline at the IOC meeting in Monte Carlo. Twenty-four men's teams and eighteen women's teams competed for the Olympic gold medal in Atlanta for the first time in 1996.
1994/95
- Twelve FIVB beach volleyball tournaments ('World Series' and Goodwill Games) 1,440,000 US$ total in prize money and FIVB bonus pool.
- Brazil, Chile, France, Japan, Puerto Rico, the USA & Chile hosted FIVB beach volleyball competitions.
- Beach Volleyball was included for the first time in the Goodwill Games held in St. Petersburg (Russia).
1996
- 27 FIVB beach volleyball tournaments (World Championships-Series and the Olympic Games) US$ 4,300,000 total prize money & FIVB bonus pool.
- France & Portugal organised the men's Grand Slam events and a women's Grand Slam took place in Puerto Rico.
- The first Olympic Beach Volleyball competition took place in Atlanta Beach from 23rd - 28th July, in a 10,000-seat stadium. Twenty-four men's teams and eighteen women's teams competed for Olympic medals and over 107,000 spectators attended the event. Beach volleyball had a complete 'sell out' in tickets.
Men - Olympic Beach Volleyball medallists :
Gold: Kiraly & Steffes (USA)
Silver: Dodd & Whitmarsh (USA)
Bronze: Child & Heese (CAN)
Women - Olympic Beach Volleyball medallists :
Gold: Jackie Silva & Sandra Pires (BRA)
Silver: Monica & Adriana Samuel (BRA)
Bronze: Cook & Pottharst (AUS)
- More than 95 National Federations have regular beach volleyball activities. 1995/96 : 27 FIVB Beach Volleyball tournaments (then named 'World Championship Series') totalling US$ 3,500,000 in prize money & FIVB bonus pool.
- Host Broadcasters presented 100 hours of news, highlights and broadcasting.
- FIVB Final Beach Volleyball Ranking serves as a basis to qualify the best pairs in the world for the Olympics. Some 600 athletes representing 42 countries took part in the Olympic qualification season.
- Over 50 National Federations have set up a Beach Volleyball National Council to promote the sport in their countries.
1997
- 22 FIVB beach volleyball tournaments (World Tour) totalling 3,900,000 US$ in prize money and FIVB bonus pool.
- Ericsson and Nike presented the Men's and Women's Beach Volleyball World Championships at the UCLA Campus. Men and women players were rewarded on an equal footing with total of US$ 600,000 prize money and the event was broadcast in more than 120 countries.
- For the first time Austria, Italy & France hosted thewomen's World Tour events and Bulgaria and Czech Republic organised the challenger events.
- A new competition format with single elimination bracket and rally scoring system was tested in Marseille and Los Angeles.
1998
- 25 FIVB beach volleyball tournaments (World Tour and Goodwill Games) with a total of US$ 3,900,000 in prize money and FIVB bonus pool.
- New World Tour Open organisers : Argentina, Canada, China & Czech Republic whereas Chile and Bulgaria organised the challenger events.
- FOR the first time in the World Tour, men and women players were rewarded at the same level with US$ 170,000 prize money per Open event.
- Goodwill Games featured beach volleyball competitions from 22nd July - to 2nd August in New York's Central Park with the world's eight best men's and women's teams.
- Beach volleyball is included in major sports competitions such as the South East Asian Games, Central & Pan-American Games, Universiade, etc.
- FIVB offers new opportunities to mid-level players and organisers by introducing lower event categories : challenger, satellite and amateur tournaments, in addition to the major World Tour competitions such as the Grand Slam and Open events.
- More than 120 National Federations have regular beach volleyball activities.
1999
- The World Tour is the only international circuit recognised by the IOC for qualification in the Olympic Games. The qualification process consists of a period which began on 1st January 1999 and ends on August 15th 2000.
- The World Tour includes twelve men's and six women's open events totalling 3,660,000.00 USD in prize money.
- In 1999, the men and women's World Championships were organised in Europe for the first time. Organised every two years, this event distributes 600,000 USD in prize money ( 300,000 USD for each gender ) and was held in a special facility for 5000 spectators. By the end of the competition the total number of spectators reached nearly 50.000.
- For the first time beach volleyball was included in the Pan American Games which were held in Canada. In a packed stadium of 5000 spectators, the men's Canadian team Holden / Leinemann won the gold medal, and the women's team Adriana Behar / Shelda(BRA) got into first place.
2000
- The year of the Olympic Games in Sydney where the top 24 men's and 24 women's teams in the world will be competing on Bondi Beach in the most important competition in the world. A wonderful venue with a stadium of 10,000 spectators and modern facilities have been set up to offer a top-class event to the Olympic family: players, fans, media, sponsors, etc.
- Teams representing more than 50 countries have taken part in the Olympic Games qualification process.
- The Athens Olympic Games Organising Committee has confirmed that Beach Volleyball is included in the Olympic Games programme in 2004
- The World Tour features 26 events totalling four million dollars in prize money.The Women's Tour has a tremendous increase in the number of tournaments from seven in 1999, up to twelve in 2000. Men and women athletes are given the same opportunities.
- The FIVB has assigned the 2001 World Championships to Austria (1st - 5th August 2001) and has reached an agreement with Turner Inc. to include beach volleyball into the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia (29th August - 4th September).
- A new rally scoring system has been tested on the occasion of a challenger and two satellite events for eventual future implementation.
2001
-12 Men's and 12 Women's events including the Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia. Goodwill Games prize money was US$300,000. The FIVB total Prize Money was US$ 1,275,000 and the Bonus Pool was US$ 1,000,000.
-The World Championships held in Klagenfurt, Austria had more than 120,000 spectators who attended the 5 day competition with total Prize Money of US$ 500,000.
-The first Junior Beach Volleyball under-21 World Championships held in Le Lavandou, France from 24-26 August 2001 included 24-teams for both the women's and men's events. The FIVB launched this competition to create the future 'stars'. The event winners were Ms. Shaylyn Bruno and Ms. Shelda Bruno from Brazil.
2002
-A growth plan is launched by the FIVB with the aim to establish Beach Volleyball as one of the most popular summer sports in 2008.
-The season scheduled 21 tournaments (11 men & 10 women) over 4 continents and 12 countries with total Prize Money of US$ 3,350,000. The year saw two Grand Slam events Marseille (France) & Klagenfurt (Austria).
-Officially, FIVB introduced an annual Under-21 and Under-18 Beach Volleyball World Championships to encourage future Beach Volleyball generations to play the sport.
-The Under-21 World Championships for Men & Women were held in Catania, North East coast of Sicily 10-14 July & the first edition of the Under-18 Beach Volleyball World Championships started on August 28 in Xylokastron, Greece with some 100 players from 20 countries.
-Challenger events were held in Kiev, Ukraine from 23-28 July and Satellite events were held in Lausanne Switzerland from 15-18 August.
-The World Council confirmed that the rally point system and a smaller court (16m x 8m) would be adopted on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour and would also be included at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.
2003
-Swatch became the Title Sponsor of the World Tour and Presenting Sponsor of the World Championships, thus creating a new logo/title as visual for posters, flyers, tickets etc. and also the introduction of Swatch technology such as electronic scoreboards and speedball device at all events.
-Swatch-FIVB World Tour embraced 22 World Events (12 Women and 10 Men) and the 2004 Olympic Games qualification tournaments in 4 continents with over 700 athletes from more than 50 countries playing for a record Prize Money nearing US$5,000,000. More than 600,000 spectators attended on site at the above events.
-The Olympic qualification started and all Swatch-FIVB World Tour events counted to determine the top 24 pairs per gender of the best 8 results per team. (Maximum 2 teams per country competed in Athens.)
-It had 4 Grand Slam Events, Klagenfurt-Austria (US$520,000 Prize Money), Marseille-France (US$540,000 Prize Money), Berlin-Germany (US$600,000 Prize Money), Carson LA-USA (US$600,000 Prize Money).
-FIVB World Championships presented by Swatch returned to Rio de Janerio, Brazil with US$ 800,000 Prize Money, with the top 48 men's and 48 women's teams from 5 continents. TV distribution reached more than 200 countries with over 100,000 spectators and 200 accredited media journalists.
Beach Volleyball World Championships Ranking 2003 - Women
First Place: Misty May & Kerri Walsh (USA); Second Place Adriana Brandao Behar & Shelda Kelly Bruno (BRA); Third Place Nathalie Cooke and Nicole Sanderson (AUS).
Beach Volleyball World Championships Ranking 2003 - Men
Men First Place: Ricardo Alex Costa Santos & Emanuel Rego (BRA); Second Place Dax Holdren & Stein Metzger (USA); Third Place Benjamin Insfran & Marcio Henrique Araujo (BRA).
-2 Junior World Championships events Under-18 Thailand, Pattaya (August 27-31) & Under-21 France, Saint Quay, Portrieux (August 7-10).
-9 exhibition Events in Madeira, Japan, Italy, France, Switzerland, Italy, Mexico, Norway and San Marino and 1 Challenger event played at the test event in Athens, Greece (August 19-24) and 3 satellite events comprising of one men's event in Lausanne, Switzerland and the Men's & Women's event in Lavandou, France.
-In this year, the Swatch FIVB World Tour finally became a well recognized TV property with 10 x 26 minutes highlights programs produced for all Grand Slam and Open events and one 52 minutes show for the World Championship event. The FIVB TV programmes gained over 510 hours of all swatch FIVB World Tour events, 5 billion TV viewers with 30 million contacts on Eurosport. There was also extensive news production and distribution (205 territories with 700 minutes and 425 excerpts of news distribution) as well as unilateral opportunities and features for all networks.
-Promotional and public relations, VIP packages and promotional activities were available to attract audiences as well as the creation of special access passes for major events.
-There was constant organisation of the anti-doping tests to guarantee the integrity of the athletes and maintain a drug free sport.
-A test event was staged in Augustin, Athens to assess the competition, sporting equipment, personnel, venue, sound results system, etc., leading towards the smooth organisation of the Beach Volleyball Tournaments at the 2004 Olympic Games. The Test event was staged under the category of men's Challenger and proved to be a very useful test event prior to the Olympic Games.
2004
-Swatch and the FIVB renewed the agreement as Title sponsor of the World Tour and World Championships for an additional 4 years (2005-2008).
-The FIVB launched a 4 year calendar aiming to implement a powerful long term marketing and TV distribution plan.
-The season was a landmark for Beach Volleyball having scheduled 26 tournaments (14 men's & 12 women's events) in 5 Continents with a total of US$ 5,3000,000 in Prize Money and over 750,000 spectators.
-The year held amazing tournaments including three leg Grand Slam events in Berlin Germany (US$ 600,000 Prize Money), Marseille-France (US$ 560,000 Prize Money) and Klagenfurt-Austria (US$540,000 Prize Money).
-The Junior World Championships Under-18 were held in Italy, Termoli and Junior World Championships Under-21 were held in Porto Santo, Portugal, also complementing the calendar were 3 Challenger events, 9 Satellite & 4 Exhibition events.
-The highlights were the final assessment of 24 men and 24 women vacancies for the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece from August 14-25th. The Swatch-FIVB World Tour is the only recognized circuit for Olympic Qualification through participation.
Athens Olympic Games
-Olympic Games in Athens from 14-25 August had over 700 athletes and 50 teams vying for a ticket to the world's sporting spectacular.
-The Beach Volleyball competition schedule lasted for 12 days with the best players comprising of 24 Men & 24 Women teams which played alternate matches on centre court. The teams played a minimum of 3 matches and for the first time, night sessions were introduced. The teams came from 24 countries over 5 continents and put on a superb display of athleticism. The competition was designed in order to satisfy the needs of the Olympic Games TV right holders, as a result of successful coordination between all parties. The TV ratings were the best so far in the history of Beach Volleyball. The beautiful stadium held 10,000 spectators and displayed two giant video walls providing live feeds. For the first time at the Games, an entertainment programme was implemented with 12 dancers, DJs and Production Managers who performed at Le Felizo Complex creating a joyful and unique atmosphere.
-Additionally there were two Beach Volleyball courts open to the public and an area for the sponsor's stands which bordered eight training courts.
2005
The 2005 SWATCH-FIVB World Tour featured 31 events, including a record 16 stops for women and 15 for men, on five continents. A total of $7.28-million in prize money was distributed for "open" events.
Grand Slam events were staged in Berlin (US$1-million SWATCH-FIVB World Championships), Norway, Paris and Austria. The men's Grand Slam featured four different winners while Americans Misty-May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh won three women's Grand Slams. May-Treanor and Walsh joined Brazil's Marcio Araujo and Fabio Magalhaes as the 2005 SWATCH-FIVB World Champions.
A record 25 challenger/satellite events sanctioned with nearly $400,000 in prize money.
2006-2008
The 2006-2008 Calendars will feature 100 events in 5 continents with more than US$22,000,000 in global Prize Money.
The 2006 Grand Slam events will be staged in Switzerland, Norway, Parris and Austria. The FIVB are currently working on projects to expand Beach Volleyball events in the USA, Asia and the UK.
In 2007, the unprecedented number of 33 events has been reached (with 17 women's and 16 men's tournaments) with a total Prize Money of US$7,37-million.
FIVB is currently negotiating with the Swiss organizers the possibilities to stage the 2007 SWATCH-FIVB World Championships in Gstaad or in another city.
FIVB is currently further developing the Challenger and Satellite events. These events will represent valid grass roots for athletes and organizers. There will be a minimum of 20 events and the opportunity to grow and develop the sport in more countries.
The FIVB continutes to work with the BOCOG to stage the Beach Volleyball tournaments at a site in downtown Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games.
-The game of Volleyball which gave also the 'root' of Beach Volleyball was invented in 1895 by an American named William G. Morgan who was the Physical Director of the Holyoke Y.M.C.A. Morgan's blended the elements of basketball, baseball, tennis and handball to create the game for his classes of businessmen that desired a new game with less physical contact than basketball.
-The original name of the game was Mintonette, which was derived from Badminton, since the nature of the game was to volley a ball back and forth across the net; Morgan agreed to change the name to Volleyball. The game was invented just four years after basket ball.
-In 1900 Canada became the first country outside of the USA to take up Volleyball, followed by Cuba in 1906, Japan in 1908, China in 1911, France in 1915 (during world War 1 on the beaches of Normandy and Brittany) and the true birth of beach Volleyball most likely began on the beaches of Waikiki Beach in Hawaii in the same year, Italy, Russia & India in 1917, Rest of Europe 1918 via the American Expeditionary Forces.
-1920 saw the first annual doubles Championships of Philadelphia held at Germantown YMCA and in 1922 the first Volleyball Federation was founded in Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria. - There are unconfirmed whispers of men's teams playing on the beach in Hawaii, but most accounts place the sport's origin in Santa Monica, California where the first Volleyball courts are put up on the beach.
1930
- Beach Volleyball appeared in Palavas, Lacanau and Royan (France), around Sofia (Bulgaria), Prague (Czech Republic) and Riga (Latvia).
- The first two-men Beach Volleyball game was played in Santa Monica, California.
1947
- The first official two-man Beach Volleyball tournament held at State Beach (CA) with no Prize Money was organised by Holtzman and won by Saenez-Harris.
- American soldiers played beacg volleyball on the European shores for the first time.
1948
- The first tournament held at State Beach, Californiarewardard the best teams with a crate of Pepsi!
1950s
- The first circuit is organised on 5 beaches in California: Santa Barbara, State, Corona del Mar, Laguna and San Diego.
- In Brazil, the first tournament sponsored by a newspaper publishing company takes place. 1920s, 30s & 40s: the birth of a new sport
Most accounts place the origin of Beach Volleyball in California where families were seen playing 6 against 6. There are also rumours that six-man teams were playing on Hawaiian beaches.
All you needed was a bathing suit, a net, a ball and sand to play Beach Volleyball. The fever catches on rapidly in the USA where people could escape the depression by going to the Beach.
1957
- Bernie Holtzman and Gene Selznick win an event that featured Greta Tyson, star of "Pyjama Tops", as "Queen of the Beach" Beach Volleyball was becoming more than just a sport, it was turning into a real show.
1950s & 60s: the California lifestyle
Beach Volleyball becomes part of the California lifestyle, much like surfing. The sport is associated with the beach, the sun and modern music. Even the Beatles come to Sorrento Beach, California and pass the ball around and Marilyn Monroe talks about Beach Volleyball.
Open tournaments were held on eight beaches in California: Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, State, Manhattan, Corona del Mar, Laguna, San Diego and even on Lake Tahoe's shores. The first Manhattan Beach Open took place. President Kennedy attended the first official beach volleyball event in Sorrento Beach, Los Angeles.
1970s & 80s: the international growth
Beach Volleyball reaches international level with U.S.A. and Brazil leading the way. The sport becomes professional and international.
1974
- First commercially sponsored tournament takes place in San Diego (CA) with 250 spectators. A total 1,500 US$ Prize Money is offered. The winners are Dennis Hare & Fred Zuelich.
1976
- Inaugural Championships of Beach Volleyball was staged at State Beach, Pacific Palisades (CA) with 5,000 US$ Prize Money. Menges & Lee win the tournament in front of 30,000 spectators.
1977
- Pro Beach Volleyball tournaments are held in Santa Cruz, Lake Tahoe and Los Angeles, USA.
1980
- First sponsored tour in the USA with 7 events in the calendar and 52,000 US$ Prize Money.
1982
- Beach Volleyball becomes popular on the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema in Rio de Janeiro (BRA).
- The USA tour becomes national with tournaments held from Denver to New York and Clearwater (FL)
1986
- First international Beach Volleyball exhibition in Rio de Janeiro with 5,000 spectators.
- Brazilian Volleyball Champions, like Renan, Bad, Montanaro, William, Jackie Silva, Isabel Salgado, Vera Mossa, Regina Uchoa, along with the 1984 Olympic Volleyball Champion, Pat Powers (USA) and the King of the Beach, Sinjin Smith(USA) become leading figures in the world-wide growth of Beach Volleyball.
1987
- The first international FIVB sanctioned Beach Volleyball tournament was held at Ipanema Beach (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) with 22,000 Prize Money. Sinjin Smith & Stoklos (USA) win the tournament.
1988
- 1 FIVB Men's tournament is held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with 51,500 US$ Prize Money. The winners are: Kiraly & Powers (USA).
1989
- 1 FIVB Men's tournament was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with 50,000 US$ Prize Money. The winners are: Smith & Stoklos (USA).
1989/90
- 3 FIVB Beach Volleyball events (World Series)
- 140,000 US$ total Prize Money
- The first FIVB Beach Volleyball International Circuit, named the World Series, was created with men's tournaments in Brazil, Italy & Japan. The Brazilian event sells out with thousands of people outside the stadium wanting to get in.
- 1989/90 Men World Champions: Smith & Stoklos (USA)
1990/91
- Four FIVB beach volleyball events (World Series) US$ 200,000 total in prize money and FIVB bonus pool.
- France, Italy, Japan and Brazil hosted men's FIVB Beach Volleyball events.
- September 1990: the first FIVB Beach Volleyball World Council gathers in Lausanne to determine the programme for beach volleyball.
1991/92
- Seven FIVB beach volleyball tournaments (World Series)with a total of US$ 600,000 in prize money and FIVB bonus pool. Australia & Spain hosted FIVB beach volleyball events for the first time.
1992/93
- Six FIVB beach volleyball tournaments (World Series) totalling US$ 950,000 in prize money and FIVB bonus pool.
- Beach Volleyball was played as a demonstration sport in Olympic Games were held in Barcelona. The first women's FIVB beach volleyball World Series took place in Almeria.
- USA team Smith and Stoklos enter into the legend by becoming World Champions for the fifth time.
- A Beach Volleyball Department was created within the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB).
1993/94
- Six FIVB beach volleyball tournaments (World Series) US$ 880,000 total in prize money & FIVB bonus pool.
- Brazil, USA & Chile hosted women's FIVB beach volleyball events.
- His Excellency Juan Antonio Samaranch, IOC President, Billy Payne, ACOG President and IOC members attended the February FIVB beach volleyball finals held in Rio de Janeiro, as well as 140,000 spectators (in one week).
- 24th September 1994 : Recognition is given to beach volleyball as an Olympic discipline at the IOC meeting in Monte Carlo. Twenty-four men's teams and eighteen women's teams competed for the Olympic gold medal in Atlanta for the first time in 1996.
1994/95
- Twelve FIVB beach volleyball tournaments ('World Series' and Goodwill Games) 1,440,000 US$ total in prize money and FIVB bonus pool.
- Brazil, Chile, France, Japan, Puerto Rico, the USA & Chile hosted FIVB beach volleyball competitions.
- Beach Volleyball was included for the first time in the Goodwill Games held in St. Petersburg (Russia).
1996
- 27 FIVB beach volleyball tournaments (World Championships-Series and the Olympic Games) US$ 4,300,000 total prize money & FIVB bonus pool.
- France & Portugal organised the men's Grand Slam events and a women's Grand Slam took place in Puerto Rico.
- The first Olympic Beach Volleyball competition took place in Atlanta Beach from 23rd - 28th July, in a 10,000-seat stadium. Twenty-four men's teams and eighteen women's teams competed for Olympic medals and over 107,000 spectators attended the event. Beach volleyball had a complete 'sell out' in tickets.
Men - Olympic Beach Volleyball medallists :
Gold: Kiraly & Steffes (USA)
Silver: Dodd & Whitmarsh (USA)
Bronze: Child & Heese (CAN)
Women - Olympic Beach Volleyball medallists :
Gold: Jackie Silva & Sandra Pires (BRA)
Silver: Monica & Adriana Samuel (BRA)
Bronze: Cook & Pottharst (AUS)
- More than 95 National Federations have regular beach volleyball activities. 1995/96 : 27 FIVB Beach Volleyball tournaments (then named 'World Championship Series') totalling US$ 3,500,000 in prize money & FIVB bonus pool.
- Host Broadcasters presented 100 hours of news, highlights and broadcasting.
- FIVB Final Beach Volleyball Ranking serves as a basis to qualify the best pairs in the world for the Olympics. Some 600 athletes representing 42 countries took part in the Olympic qualification season.
- Over 50 National Federations have set up a Beach Volleyball National Council to promote the sport in their countries.
1997
- 22 FIVB beach volleyball tournaments (World Tour) totalling 3,900,000 US$ in prize money and FIVB bonus pool.
- Ericsson and Nike presented the Men's and Women's Beach Volleyball World Championships at the UCLA Campus. Men and women players were rewarded on an equal footing with total of US$ 600,000 prize money and the event was broadcast in more than 120 countries.
- For the first time Austria, Italy & France hosted thewomen's World Tour events and Bulgaria and Czech Republic organised the challenger events.
- A new competition format with single elimination bracket and rally scoring system was tested in Marseille and Los Angeles.
1998
- 25 FIVB beach volleyball tournaments (World Tour and Goodwill Games) with a total of US$ 3,900,000 in prize money and FIVB bonus pool.
- New World Tour Open organisers : Argentina, Canada, China & Czech Republic whereas Chile and Bulgaria organised the challenger events.
- FOR the first time in the World Tour, men and women players were rewarded at the same level with US$ 170,000 prize money per Open event.
- Goodwill Games featured beach volleyball competitions from 22nd July - to 2nd August in New York's Central Park with the world's eight best men's and women's teams.
- Beach volleyball is included in major sports competitions such as the South East Asian Games, Central & Pan-American Games, Universiade, etc.
- FIVB offers new opportunities to mid-level players and organisers by introducing lower event categories : challenger, satellite and amateur tournaments, in addition to the major World Tour competitions such as the Grand Slam and Open events.
- More than 120 National Federations have regular beach volleyball activities.
1999
- The World Tour is the only international circuit recognised by the IOC for qualification in the Olympic Games. The qualification process consists of a period which began on 1st January 1999 and ends on August 15th 2000.
- The World Tour includes twelve men's and six women's open events totalling 3,660,000.00 USD in prize money.
- In 1999, the men and women's World Championships were organised in Europe for the first time. Organised every two years, this event distributes 600,000 USD in prize money ( 300,000 USD for each gender ) and was held in a special facility for 5000 spectators. By the end of the competition the total number of spectators reached nearly 50.000.
- For the first time beach volleyball was included in the Pan American Games which were held in Canada. In a packed stadium of 5000 spectators, the men's Canadian team Holden / Leinemann won the gold medal, and the women's team Adriana Behar / Shelda(BRA) got into first place.
2000
- The year of the Olympic Games in Sydney where the top 24 men's and 24 women's teams in the world will be competing on Bondi Beach in the most important competition in the world. A wonderful venue with a stadium of 10,000 spectators and modern facilities have been set up to offer a top-class event to the Olympic family: players, fans, media, sponsors, etc.
- Teams representing more than 50 countries have taken part in the Olympic Games qualification process.
- The Athens Olympic Games Organising Committee has confirmed that Beach Volleyball is included in the Olympic Games programme in 2004
- The World Tour features 26 events totalling four million dollars in prize money.The Women's Tour has a tremendous increase in the number of tournaments from seven in 1999, up to twelve in 2000. Men and women athletes are given the same opportunities.
- The FIVB has assigned the 2001 World Championships to Austria (1st - 5th August 2001) and has reached an agreement with Turner Inc. to include beach volleyball into the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia (29th August - 4th September).
- A new rally scoring system has been tested on the occasion of a challenger and two satellite events for eventual future implementation.
2001
-12 Men's and 12 Women's events including the Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia. Goodwill Games prize money was US$300,000. The FIVB total Prize Money was US$ 1,275,000 and the Bonus Pool was US$ 1,000,000.
-The World Championships held in Klagenfurt, Austria had more than 120,000 spectators who attended the 5 day competition with total Prize Money of US$ 500,000.
-The first Junior Beach Volleyball under-21 World Championships held in Le Lavandou, France from 24-26 August 2001 included 24-teams for both the women's and men's events. The FIVB launched this competition to create the future 'stars'. The event winners were Ms. Shaylyn Bruno and Ms. Shelda Bruno from Brazil.
2002
-A growth plan is launched by the FIVB with the aim to establish Beach Volleyball as one of the most popular summer sports in 2008.
-The season scheduled 21 tournaments (11 men & 10 women) over 4 continents and 12 countries with total Prize Money of US$ 3,350,000. The year saw two Grand Slam events Marseille (France) & Klagenfurt (Austria).
-Officially, FIVB introduced an annual Under-21 and Under-18 Beach Volleyball World Championships to encourage future Beach Volleyball generations to play the sport.
-The Under-21 World Championships for Men & Women were held in Catania, North East coast of Sicily 10-14 July & the first edition of the Under-18 Beach Volleyball World Championships started on August 28 in Xylokastron, Greece with some 100 players from 20 countries.
-Challenger events were held in Kiev, Ukraine from 23-28 July and Satellite events were held in Lausanne Switzerland from 15-18 August.
-The World Council confirmed that the rally point system and a smaller court (16m x 8m) would be adopted on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour and would also be included at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.
2003
-Swatch became the Title Sponsor of the World Tour and Presenting Sponsor of the World Championships, thus creating a new logo/title as visual for posters, flyers, tickets etc. and also the introduction of Swatch technology such as electronic scoreboards and speedball device at all events.
-Swatch-FIVB World Tour embraced 22 World Events (12 Women and 10 Men) and the 2004 Olympic Games qualification tournaments in 4 continents with over 700 athletes from more than 50 countries playing for a record Prize Money nearing US$5,000,000. More than 600,000 spectators attended on site at the above events.
-The Olympic qualification started and all Swatch-FIVB World Tour events counted to determine the top 24 pairs per gender of the best 8 results per team. (Maximum 2 teams per country competed in Athens.)
-It had 4 Grand Slam Events, Klagenfurt-Austria (US$520,000 Prize Money), Marseille-France (US$540,000 Prize Money), Berlin-Germany (US$600,000 Prize Money), Carson LA-USA (US$600,000 Prize Money).
-FIVB World Championships presented by Swatch returned to Rio de Janerio, Brazil with US$ 800,000 Prize Money, with the top 48 men's and 48 women's teams from 5 continents. TV distribution reached more than 200 countries with over 100,000 spectators and 200 accredited media journalists.
Beach Volleyball World Championships Ranking 2003 - Women
First Place: Misty May & Kerri Walsh (USA); Second Place Adriana Brandao Behar & Shelda Kelly Bruno (BRA); Third Place Nathalie Cooke and Nicole Sanderson (AUS).
Beach Volleyball World Championships Ranking 2003 - Men
Men First Place: Ricardo Alex Costa Santos & Emanuel Rego (BRA); Second Place Dax Holdren & Stein Metzger (USA); Third Place Benjamin Insfran & Marcio Henrique Araujo (BRA).
-2 Junior World Championships events Under-18 Thailand, Pattaya (August 27-31) & Under-21 France, Saint Quay, Portrieux (August 7-10).
-9 exhibition Events in Madeira, Japan, Italy, France, Switzerland, Italy, Mexico, Norway and San Marino and 1 Challenger event played at the test event in Athens, Greece (August 19-24) and 3 satellite events comprising of one men's event in Lausanne, Switzerland and the Men's & Women's event in Lavandou, France.
-In this year, the Swatch FIVB World Tour finally became a well recognized TV property with 10 x 26 minutes highlights programs produced for all Grand Slam and Open events and one 52 minutes show for the World Championship event. The FIVB TV programmes gained over 510 hours of all swatch FIVB World Tour events, 5 billion TV viewers with 30 million contacts on Eurosport. There was also extensive news production and distribution (205 territories with 700 minutes and 425 excerpts of news distribution) as well as unilateral opportunities and features for all networks.
-Promotional and public relations, VIP packages and promotional activities were available to attract audiences as well as the creation of special access passes for major events.
-There was constant organisation of the anti-doping tests to guarantee the integrity of the athletes and maintain a drug free sport.
-A test event was staged in Augustin, Athens to assess the competition, sporting equipment, personnel, venue, sound results system, etc., leading towards the smooth organisation of the Beach Volleyball Tournaments at the 2004 Olympic Games. The Test event was staged under the category of men's Challenger and proved to be a very useful test event prior to the Olympic Games.
2004
-Swatch and the FIVB renewed the agreement as Title sponsor of the World Tour and World Championships for an additional 4 years (2005-2008).
-The FIVB launched a 4 year calendar aiming to implement a powerful long term marketing and TV distribution plan.
-The season was a landmark for Beach Volleyball having scheduled 26 tournaments (14 men's & 12 women's events) in 5 Continents with a total of US$ 5,3000,000 in Prize Money and over 750,000 spectators.
-The year held amazing tournaments including three leg Grand Slam events in Berlin Germany (US$ 600,000 Prize Money), Marseille-France (US$ 560,000 Prize Money) and Klagenfurt-Austria (US$540,000 Prize Money).
-The Junior World Championships Under-18 were held in Italy, Termoli and Junior World Championships Under-21 were held in Porto Santo, Portugal, also complementing the calendar were 3 Challenger events, 9 Satellite & 4 Exhibition events.
-The highlights were the final assessment of 24 men and 24 women vacancies for the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece from August 14-25th. The Swatch-FIVB World Tour is the only recognized circuit for Olympic Qualification through participation.
Athens Olympic Games
-Olympic Games in Athens from 14-25 August had over 700 athletes and 50 teams vying for a ticket to the world's sporting spectacular.
-The Beach Volleyball competition schedule lasted for 12 days with the best players comprising of 24 Men & 24 Women teams which played alternate matches on centre court. The teams played a minimum of 3 matches and for the first time, night sessions were introduced. The teams came from 24 countries over 5 continents and put on a superb display of athleticism. The competition was designed in order to satisfy the needs of the Olympic Games TV right holders, as a result of successful coordination between all parties. The TV ratings were the best so far in the history of Beach Volleyball. The beautiful stadium held 10,000 spectators and displayed two giant video walls providing live feeds. For the first time at the Games, an entertainment programme was implemented with 12 dancers, DJs and Production Managers who performed at Le Felizo Complex creating a joyful and unique atmosphere.
-Additionally there were two Beach Volleyball courts open to the public and an area for the sponsor's stands which bordered eight training courts.
2005
The 2005 SWATCH-FIVB World Tour featured 31 events, including a record 16 stops for women and 15 for men, on five continents. A total of $7.28-million in prize money was distributed for "open" events.
Grand Slam events were staged in Berlin (US$1-million SWATCH-FIVB World Championships), Norway, Paris and Austria. The men's Grand Slam featured four different winners while Americans Misty-May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh won three women's Grand Slams. May-Treanor and Walsh joined Brazil's Marcio Araujo and Fabio Magalhaes as the 2005 SWATCH-FIVB World Champions.
A record 25 challenger/satellite events sanctioned with nearly $400,000 in prize money.
2006-2008
The 2006-2008 Calendars will feature 100 events in 5 continents with more than US$22,000,000 in global Prize Money.
The 2006 Grand Slam events will be staged in Switzerland, Norway, Parris and Austria. The FIVB are currently working on projects to expand Beach Volleyball events in the USA, Asia and the UK.
In 2007, the unprecedented number of 33 events has been reached (with 17 women's and 16 men's tournaments) with a total Prize Money of US$7,37-million.
FIVB is currently negotiating with the Swiss organizers the possibilities to stage the 2007 SWATCH-FIVB World Championships in Gstaad or in another city.
FIVB is currently further developing the Challenger and Satellite events. These events will represent valid grass roots for athletes and organizers. There will be a minimum of 20 events and the opportunity to grow and develop the sport in more countries.
The FIVB continutes to work with the BOCOG to stage the Beach Volleyball tournaments at a site in downtown Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games.
