High Expectations for Horse Guards Olympic Volleyball Venue

(ATR) FIVB president Jizhong Wei tells Around the Rings he has high expectations for London 2012’s beach volleyball competition, its test event just underway.

"I have been told most of the tickets have been sold and the price of the tickets is very high," he told ATR during the Rome world championships earlier this summer.

"From what LOCOG tells us, I am very confident and can guarantee that beach volleyball in London will be a big success."

Vetting the Venue

Formerly the headquarters of the British Army, historic Horse Guards Parade will be the site of the 2012 beach volleyball competition. In preparation for the Olympic tournament, LOCOG is staging a test event this week with 24 women’s teams.

Angelo Squeo serves as beach volleyball events director for the FIVB and has been involved in organizing all major competitions since the sport’s Olympic debut in Atlanta 1996.

"Beach volleyball has been given the privilege to play in a very exclusive and iconic place like Horse Guards Parade," he told ATR.

"On one side we have Buckingham Palace, on another side is Trafalgar Square and on the other side is the Prime Minister’s house, so we are surrounded by the core of London."

Emanuel Rego is a two-time Olympic medalist and expects to compete in his fifth straight Summer Games in London.

"I’ve seen all of the pictures and when I think about the emotion of this it gives me chills," he said of Horse Guards Parade. "I think everything will be there to have a really good event that is fun and also traditional."

A Royal Challenge

One challenge facing organizers is the Trooping of the Colour on April 21, the Queen’s birthday. The ceremony will occur just six weeksbefore the start of the Olympics, resulting in limited time for construction of the temporary facilities necessary for beach volleyball. That includes the two-tiered 15,000-seat stadium as well two courts to the east of the arena and an additional six practice courts at St. James Park.

"It is a point of concern because the athletes will arrive early, want to train and obviously we want to see a finished area, but LOCOG is assuring us that the planning will be done very carefully and will not be too complicated," said Squeo.

"We can also work outside the area of the ceremony so we can build bleachers, facilities and training courts at the same time of the ceremony."

Squeo emphasized that the height of the stadium as well as its proximity to the historic buildings will not impede the sightseeing of spectators.

"A Crazy Idea"

In cooperation with LOCOG, Squeo said the FIVB hopes to blend British tradition with a distinct and lively flair while staging the tournament in the heart of London’s political center.

"It is a historical place and what we want is to bring the flavor of the beach along with entertainment, including a DJ, because London is a city where there is a lot of value with singers, artists and dancers."

The Queen’s Horse Guards may also play a role in the festivities, he added.

"We wanted to invite them into the show, but thought this was a crazy idea. However, when we proposed this to them they really wanted to be involved. We’ll do it the right way with some marching and a band playing."

Primetime Play

Since its Olympic debut in 1996, beach volleyball’s popularity and television viewing audience have steadily grown. In 2008 in Beijing, NBC decided to show both men’s and women’s finals live in primetime without commercial interruption.

"We try to meet the request of NBC and also the other broadcasters," Squeo said. "For each broadcaster, we fit their home teams into their schedule so we multiply the impact because every country is going to be in primetime with their own teams."

The Olympic tournament in London will span 13 days, beginning July 28. Women’s medal matches will be staged on the evening of Aug. 8 with the men’s to follow Aug. 9.

Written by Brian Pinelli.