"Curious" Spectators Flock to Horse Guards, Earls Court

(ATR) British prime minister David Cameron made one small complaint to FIVB president Jizhong Wei when they met this week at Horse Guards Parade, the picturesque Olympic beach volleyball venue.

"He tells me it’s too noisy, because his office is just behind it," Wei tells Around the Rings with a laugh. "He told me that that’s the best sport here."

Indoor volleyball is also held at an iconic venue: Earls Court, which has been used as an entertainment and exhibition area for more than 100 years and hosted several sports, including boxing, at the 1948 Olympics.

Both venues hold 15,000 seats and have been full even though Great Britain had no Olympic volleyball history before qualifying as the host in men’s and women’s indoor and beach volleyball.

"All the spectators come with enthusiasm," Wei says. He said he asked his staff to ask people why they came. "They said they are very curious about volleyball. They don’t know volleyball. They said it was fantastic, spectacular."

At beach volleyball, the exuberant Wei made a public announcement to the crowd. "I said in the future, you are in the FIVB family and they are happy," he said.

Who wouldn’t be happy at Horse Guards Parade, where 4, 115 tons of sand were trucked in? It’s a beach party with loud music and dancers who perform a conga line while frolicking in clothes not quite as skimpy as those the female players wear.

Every so often, a trumpet blasts and the spectators respond, "Ole!" They do "the wave," while Big Ben and the London Eye can be seen above them in the distance, day or night.

At Earls Court, the atmosphere is also festive, with music and people pretending to play the bongos during breaks in the action.

But the cheerleaders stay off the court, at Wei’s direction, "so all the players can concentrate on the match."

There were 11 days of competition at beach volleyball, where Misty May-Treanor and Kerry Walsh won an unprecedented third straight women’s title on the sand. The men’s final is Thursday night. In indoor volleyball, there are 15 days of competition, which concludes Sunday.

Besides Great Britain, other newcomers to Olympic play are Turkey in women’s volleyball and Mauritius making its debut in women’s beach volleyball.

Wei, who is attending his 10th Olympics, is thankful for the new blood. He said the caliber of play in indoor volleyball play on the women’s side is not at a high level because there are old players, particularly on the teams of Brazil, Russia and China. "But for the men, it is high," he said.

Wei added that the growth of sport depends on investment, and he is proud of the Continental Cup and junior and youth championships. The FIVB offers subsidies to help organize tournaments.

The sport also has a marketing campaign centered around Volleyball Heroes. Two giant statues of players are at Earls Court, outside the playing arena and near the concession stands. Two more are at Horse Guards Parade.

For the first time, the international federation is hosting an FIVB Lounge at each venue where players are made available to the media usually after their match.

Wei said that while technique in the sport has developed very fast –with a volleyball spike reaching 120 kilometers an hour –the judging system has lagged behind.

"So we have to catch up to meet the new techniques," he said. "So I say in the future to guarantee the fair play, we have to use the new technology. Not here, for next time."

That technology could include "Hawkeye," which is used in tennis, sensors on the lines and a TV in the net. FIVB is already testing innovations.

Wei said there haven’t been any protests at volleyball. "So far, no, " he said, "but we have to predict the future."

Reported in London by Karen Rosen.

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