Tokyo Olympics: How beach volleyball will be different under Covid-19 restrictions
There will be no crowds cheering on Australia’s beach volleyball team at the Tokyo Olympics, and it’s not the only change they face under Covid restrictions.
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Beach volleyball without crowds is like sushi without rice but it’s a line in the sand hot medal prospects Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar are happy to accept.
With sold-out stands, a disco-inspired hedonistic crowd and athletes with impressive vertical leaps and power serves, beach volleyball has always been an Olympic hot-ticket item.
But while the sport was made for TV and for spectators, there is not a more inclusive sport on the Games program.
The Bubble Games has stripped spectators from all venues but for none will this matter as the pair attempt to win Australia’s first beach volleyball gold medal since 2000.
Clancy, rated one of the world’s best players, said: “We love playing in front of a crowd but we also understand that it’s the right reasons and we respect the decision.”
“Things have been very different so far and Tokyo will be no different from the events we have already competed in this year.”
Additional Covid measures at the sport’s venue Shiokaze Park will include the ball being sanitised in between every point and a ban on high fives.
Damien Schumann and Chris McHugh, who cemented the final quota spot of the Games just weeks ago, had only three days out of quarantine before packing their bags for Tokyo.
Schumann said: “There’s nothing we wouldn’t do to be at the Tokyo Olympics and for any athlete that I hear whinging about going into a hub - give it a rest.”
“Our whole competitive lives are spent overseas on tour, we go away for two to three months at a time.
“It’s remarkable the effort everyone has gone to for the Games to go on ... and to make sure everyone is safe.”
The beach volleyball venue Shiokaze Park, which has a capacity of 12,000, is one of the Games best, offering views of Tokyo’s iconic Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo Bay.
Schumann added: “I can’t wait to see the venue - full or not full, there is still an Olympic medal on offer.”
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