History

Beach volleyball is a quintessential summer sport played on sand by the sea — a discipline where competition and festival come together under bright sun, sea breeze and open sky. Unlike indoor volleyball, it has a free, dynamic spirit that goes beyond sport to embody culture and lifestyle.

1910–1930

The roots of beach volleyball lie on the beaches of California and in Hawaii in the early 20th century. With the beach at the heart of leisure culture, informal two- and three-player games spread among people looking for something to play without an indoor gym. By the 1920s amateurs were playing on the sand at Santa Monica and other West Coast beaches, and the game began to take hold as a new sport fused with beach culture.

1940–1960

From the 1940s the game became organized around California, with permanent nets and courts and a lively scene of local tournaments and clubs — the Santa Monica beach clubs are regarded as its cradle. In the 1960s it spread to Brazil, France and beyond, beginning international exchange, and Brazil rose alongside the United States as one of the sport's two great powers.

1970–1980

In the 1970s prize-money tournaments transformed the sport's standing. The AVP launched in the United States in 1983, lifting beach volleyball into a mainstream sport through broadcasting and marketing, and the two-player format became standard. In 1987 the FIVB brought beach volleyball under its governance and launched the first FIVB World Tour, propelling it onto the global stage.

1990s

After a demonstration appearance at Barcelona 1992, beach volleyball was adopted as a full Olympic sport at Atlanta 1996, with 24 men's and 18 women's teams competing. The Games introduced fans worldwide to the sport's appeal and dynamism for the first time.

2000–2012

As the FIVB World Tour ran in dozens of countries each year and the World Championships became a fixture, beach volleyball established itself as a truly global sport. Alongside the strength of the United States and Brazil, top players emerged from Germany, Norway, China and beyond, widening the field.

Venues expanded from beaches to city plazas, stadiums and lakesides, and—fused with music, fashion and youth culture—the sport grew into a cultural festival as much as a competition. London 2012 built a temporary arena at Horse Guards Parade near Buckingham Palace and sold out session after session, underlining its mainstream appeal.

2013–2024

Building on the World Tour, the FIVB launched the Beach Pro Tour (BPT) in 2022, restructured into Elite16, Challenge and Futures tiers. The Video Challenge System (VCS) improved the fairness of officiating, and broadcast and digital content widened the fan base.

The Olympics became a showcase for host-city marketing: Rio 2016 on Copacabana beach, Tokyo 2021 at Shiokaze Park, and Paris 2024 at the Eiffel Tower Stadium with the tower itself as a backdrop, leaving a vivid impression worldwide.

한국 · Korea

In Korea, beach volleyball long faced a challenging environment with only a small number of registered athletes and teams. The Korea Beach Volleyball Federation (KBVF) aims to grow it into the nation's signature summer sport by developing elite athletes, coaches and referees and broadening participation.

2025 marked a turning point: Korea hosted the FIVB-sanctioned Busan Gwangalli international women's event and staged the first domestic K-Beach Series on the same stage. Beginning with this event—where the night view of Gwangan Bridge meets K-culture—the federation plans to found regional teams, discover young talent and run well-organized competitions on the road to the Asian Games and the Olympics.