In the words of Ian Buchanan, Olympic historian, beach volleyball is "Baywatch with a Medal Ceremony." The game began on the beaches of Southern California and drew attention in the 1980s. As the name suggests, the game is played on sand with two-person teams, sometimes four, but not six like indoor volleyball. The Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), which was established in April 1947, oversees beach volleyball globally.
Beach volleyball has been played at every edition of the Olympics, since its entry in 1996. The first men's gold medal was won by the American team led by Kent Steffes and Karch Kiraly, who is widely regarded as the best volleyball player of all time. Brazilian athletes Ricardo and Emanuel are the most successful players among the males, having each won a full set of medals.
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The Year-by-Year List of Olympic Medalists of Team USA in Beach Volleyball
Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor are the two female winners of three gold medals each; they did so in 2004 and 2008. In 2016, Walsh Jennings added another bronze medal to her record of four Olympic medals.
Brazil surpasses the USA in the total number of medals won, with 13, while the USA has 11. But the USA has more golds—seven—than Brazil, which only has three.
The year-by-year list of Team USA’s Olympic medal winners in beach volleyball is as follows:
| Year | Event | Name | Medal |
| 1996 | Beach Volleyball, Men | Karch Kiraly, Kent Steffes | Gold |
| 1996 | Beach Volleyball, Men | Mike Whitmarsh, Mike Dodd | Silver |
| 2000 | Beach Volleyball, Men | Dain Blanton, Eric Fonoimoana | Gold |
| 2004 | Beach Volleyball, Women | Kerri Walsh, Misty May | Gold |
| 2004 | Beach Volleyball, Women | Holly McPeak, Elaine Youngs | Bronze |
| 2008 | Beach Volleyball, Men | Todd Rogers, Phil Dalhausser | Gold |
| 2008 | Beach Volleyball, Women | Misty May-Treanor, Kerri Walsh Jennings | Gold |
| 2012 | Beach Volleyball, Women | Kerri Walsh Jennings, Misty May-Treanor | Gold |
| 2012 | Beach Volleyball, Women | April Ross, Jen Kessy | Silver |
| 2016 | Beach Volleyball, Women | Kerri Walsh Jennings, April Ross | Bronze |
| 2020 | Beach Volleyball, Women | April Ross, Alix Klineman | Gold |
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FAQ's On Olympic Medalists in Beach Volleyball
A. Yes, beach volleyball has been played at the Olympics since 1996.
A. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, April Ross and Alix Klineman won the gold medal from Team USA in beach volleyball.
A. The two female gold medalists, Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor, won three gold medals each in 2004 and 2008, respectively.
A. Beach volleyball will be played at the Eiffel Tower Stadium at the 2024 Paris Olympics, from July 27 to August 10.
A. 24 teams compete in six round-robin pools in beach volleyball's Olympic format. 16 pairs advance to the single-elimination knockout round.
A. Yes, beach volleyball is an Olympic sport, that has been held since the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
