PARIS – Beach volleyball, since its debut as an Olympic sport at the 1996 Atlanta Games, has been held in iconic venues across the world prior to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In Australia 24 years ago, Bondi Beach was the site of the tournament. In London 12 years ago, Horse Guard Parade hosted the sport. In Rio in 2016, beach volleyballers competed at Rio’s Copacabana beach.
The 2024 setup – a 12,000-person temporary stadium in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower on the Champ de Mars – might just be the most aesthetically pleasing, said some the players who had the fortune of participating in the first match of the tournament Saturday.
That included the American team of Miles Partain and Andrew Benesh. They fell to Noslen Diaz Amaro and Jorge Luis Alayo Moliner of Cuba in two sets, 21-18, 21-18.
“Definitely one of the most – I think the most – iconic venue that we’ve had for our sport,” Benesh said. “It’s a blessing to have the opportunity.”
2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.
Get Olympics updates in your texts! Join USA TODAY Sports’ WhatsApp Channel
Despite the rainy and cool conditions, far from an ideal “beach day,” the stadium was nearly full. About two-thirds of the fans can see all of the Eiffel Tower above the top of the stadium, while the rest face the École Militaire on the opposite side of the Champ de Mars.
And wait until the sun goes down.
“What a setting, right?” NBC beach volleyball analyst and three-time Olympic gold medalist Misty May-Treanor said. “I feel I got lucky because my last Games were at Horse Guards (Parade). That was quite the venue. But this one, the night matches are going to be spectacular.”
On Saturday, the crowd quickly took the Cubans’ side and both Diaz and Alayo played into their reactions and called for more noise and cheering throughout the match. Fans threw their hands in the air to celebrate blocks and stomped their feet on the makeshift grandstands to make it sound like the metro was about to rumble through the stadium.
“I think that’s probably the biggest crowd I’ve ever played in front of, so that was really cool,” Benesh said.
Over the past week, teams had been practicing inside the stadium, which will also host blind volleyball during the Paralympic Games, which allowed players to soak in the setting without the pressure of a match, Benesh said.
“You take it in a little bit … I felt pretty locked into the match, so sometimes I’m in my own world, but there’s definitely a couple moments where I was able to look around and see how many great fans were there,” Benesh said. “The energy was great, especially with it raining today, it was really cool to see everyone show up.”
The playing surface of “Centre Court” held up in the rain and players said it was similar to any other place they play. The balls didn’t become heavy in the rain, Benesh said.
“The atmosphere is very, very nice. For me, being beside the Eiffel Tower is something great,” Diaz said in Spanish. “I thought I would play under a very hot sun.”
