Rain Fails to Dampen Spirits as Paris 2024 Beach Volleyball Kicks Off

Posted : 27 July 2024

Excited spectators splashed through puddles on Saturday to reach the most spectacular venue of the Paris 2024 Olympics as the first beach volleyball matches began in the shadow of the just-visible Eiffel Tower. Following a rain-soaked opening ceremony on Friday, the first full day of sporting action in Paris remained wet, with crowds at the purpose-built stadium huddling under umbrellas, hats, and raincoats.

Despite the waterlogged park intended to be a standout venue, rain poured down as men's teams from the United States and Cuba took to the sand for the opening match.

While the skateboarding competition was postponed earlier in the day, beach volleyball continued as it is rarely canceled for rain, only for storms. Athletes warmed up on practice courts in a mixture of tracksuits and shorts, with women players opting for leggings or long-sleeved tops instead of the sport's signature bikinis.

Outside the stadium, wooden walkways swayed under muddy puddles, and fans wearing their national flags shielded themselves with an array of ponchos, berets, and Paris 2024 baseball caps. Thibauld Fournes, visiting from northern France, commented, "It's horrible, but it's Paris. I don't think it will stop me from having a good time."

Beach volleyball has grown to be one of the most popular events at the Olympics since its debut in 1996, and the stadium stands were largely packed. Despite the rain, spectators remained enthusiastic. "I don't think the weather will ruin it at all – it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience," said Sonya Chiu, 44, from New York. "Even though it's raining, pouring, everyone is in good spirits."

Temperatures in Paris are set to soar in the coming days, and many tourists carried an array of all-weather accessories. Sydney Swanson, 31, from Texas, shared, "We bought suncream and sun hats – haven't used them at all. But we spent five euros each on ponchos yesterday and they were great."

On the court, Cuba's Noslen Diaz Amaro and Jorge Luis Alayo Moliner easily won the first match of the day against the US pair Miles Partain and Andrew Benesh. The United States, the current Olympic women's champions, have not won men's gold since Beijing in 2008. Following them, the top-ranked Swedish pairing of David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig, both aged 22, used their aggressive "Swedish jump-set" style to secure a victory against Australians Mark Nicolaidis and Izac Carracher in straight sets. The women's competition also featured a close match between China's Xue Chen and Xia Xinyi and Australia's Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy, with Australia winning 16-14 in the decider. Twenty-four teams in both the men's and women's events will be whittled down to 16 for the knockout stages, with the finals taking place on August 9 and 10.

Rain Fails to Dampen Spirits as Paris 2024 Beach Volleyball Kicks Off

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