8/02/12 Olympics: Beach Volleyball & the Weather

Beach Volleyball is usually a sport people associate with very warm climates like Florida, California, Hawaii, or the Caribbean. However, that’s not where the Olympics are being held this year, so the athletes will have to contend with weather they are not very familiar with.


U.S. Mens Volleyball versus Spain Tuesday
Courtesy: Twitchy

 One might think that the overcast skies and slightly cooler temperatures would actually make conditions a bit better than the hot and humid conditions that can make the sand feel like I t is burning the athletes feet. It was actually quite the opposite. In fact many of the Olympians commented or even tweeted about how miserably cold it felt.

"Well, the sand was cold," explains Canadian Beach Volleyball athlete Marie-Andree Lessard. "My feet were frozen. But the ambiance warmed us up."

Temperature: This is probably the most important of all of the weather elements, and believe it or not, most of the athletes prefer the hot weather, since it’s what they’re used to playing in! In fact most players know that there is no such thing as wrong weather, only the wrong clothing. Since the weather in London isn’t exactly known for being like Hawaii’s, the International Volleyball Federation actually relaxed the clothing regulations to allow players to cover up more of the bodies if the temperatures drop to below 68°F.

Rain:  The rainy conditions only really affect their handsets since the volleyball can become slippery. Even when it rains a bit, the Olympics are prepared, having the ball boys and girls towel off the volleyballs.

U.S. Women's Volleyball on Tuesday versus Czech Republic
Courtesy: Newsday