Beach volleyball brings joy to the audience

- Interview with FIVB President Axta

In the just-concluded World Beach Volleyball Championships, Chinese girls historically won silver medals and two pairs of players reached the semi-finals; while the men's two-pair combination also joined hands to reach the quarter-finals, setting a record for men's history. The rise of the two lines of Saudi Arabia seems to allow the Chinese to see a new breakthrough in the Beijing Olympics. FIVB President Axta accepted an exclusive interview with reporters on the eve of the World Champions League.
Reporter (hereinafter abbreviated): The "Good Luck Beijing" beach volleyball match will be held in Beijing. What are your expectations for beach volleyball during the Beijing Olympics?
Axta (hereinafter referred to as Ah): I hope that the Beijing Olympic Games can prove that beach volleyball has become one of the major items in the Olympic Games. We hope that the Chinese audience can truly enjoy the sport, give the sport a new perspective, new goals, and find new ways for players and audiences to participate together. I hope to see great success in our projects, including volleyball and volleyball.
Reporter: What are the new perspectives and goals you just mentioned?
A: Some people pointed out that the entertainment of sand row is greater than the competition, but I think China does not necessarily agree with this point of view. I believe that Chinese audiences, like those in this place (the World Championships in Gstaad, Switzerland), have the same passion for Saudi Arabia, but they may not put entertainment ahead of competition. So in China, we have to find a suitable angle to introduce the sand row to the audience.
Reporter: Have you checked the site of the Olympic Games volleyball team yourself?
A: I visited when we chose which venue was the most suitable for the beach. We looked at several parks and finally picked Chaoyang Park. There was a lake there. I believe this would be an ideal sand row. The new venue we have not yet seen. In the next two months, we will send two people to collect information so that we can publicize the Beijing Olympics sand row competition to the world.
Reporter: For the Olympic Games volleyball competition, what do you want to emphasize or suggest to the organizers?
A: I hope that the organizers understand that it is important not only to compete in the race but also to provide entertainment. Maybe they provide different ways of entertainment than World Championships, but I think we can work with BOCOG to study how to provide some things that can really bring joy to the Chinese public at the same time.
Reporter: What are the specific plans for this?
A: We plan to select some cheerleaders, similar to the style of the U.S. professional league, and plan to use the dance team in this World Championship. However, we still need to exchange opinions with BOCOG to determine what kind of entertainment is suitable for the Chinese audience. . We must provide entertainment to the general public because it is not only sports but also life. The Olympics are not in the category of human nature but are included in it. Therefore, the "Good Luck Beijing" series of sporting events will be a comprehensive test, one of which is the investigation of entertainment facilities.
I also want to emphasize that the most important purpose of the test match is to understand how Chinese organizers understand and prepare for the sport. We are not going to direct and give orders, but to provide cooperation and assistance. The ultimate goal is to ensure the success of the project.
Reporter: Do you think that the sand row has the potential to become one of the most popular sports in the world?
A: Yes, we are moving in that direction and we have made great progress. It has popular conditions. First of all, it is not an expensive sport. You don't need complicated facilities. You can play sand row in any park, beach or anywhere. On the beach in Brazil, you can see a long trail of sand. Many people will also play the sand row as a pastime when they are on holiday or on weekends. In addition, you can easily find another teammate. It is also very ornamental.
Xinhua News Agency reporters Li Lixin and Hua Shegong Figure <br> project to resolve beach volleyball competition rules Points
1. In the beach volleyball competition, only two players from each team can participate in the competition. There can be no more and no less. Therefore, two members of each team need to participate in the game from beginning to end. There is no substitution or change of athlete.
2. In the beach volleyball match, players can stand anywhere in the area, so there is no wrong position when serving.
3. In the beach volleyball game, the players opened their hands with their fingers to “draw the ball” and hit the ball directly to the opponent’s field area as a foul, but they were allowed to poke with a finger or knuckle.
4. In the beach volleyball match, the player's passing trajectory is not perpendicular to the shoulders to complete an offensive shot.
5. If both players on the net hit the ball at the same time, allowing "hold the ball", the game continues.
6. In the beach volleyball game, the injured players can request a five-minute injury timeout, but each player has only one chance in each game.
7. In the beach volleyball match, whenever the scores of the two sides of the match have accumulated 7 points (first and second innings), 5 points (third inning), or 7 minutes, 5 points in multiples, the parties will immediately exchange the playing field.
8. The beach volleyball team can request a maximum of 1 suspension per team per game, each time a timeout of 30 seconds. In the first and second games, there was a 30-second technical timeout when the two sides scored 21 points.