Beach volleyball sparkles at every Olympics, but nothing compares to Paris. With the Eiffel Tower as its scenery, the location is one of the most stunning locations of the 2024 Games.
The location is n’t the only impressive feature. To create the beach volleyball stadium at the base of the Eiffel Tower, nearly 2, 000 tons of sand was brought from Sibelco’s Montgru-Saint-Hilaire dust mine. Located 62 miles from the venue, the decision highlighted Paris 2024’s and the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball’s ( FIVB ) commitment to sustainable operations.
After her fit, Team USA’s Taryn Kloth declared,” Whoever made that dust did a great job. On the first day of the shore tennis competitors, featuring 24 children’s and 24 people’s groups, Kloth and her companion Kristen Nuss, hit Canada, under torrential rain. ” That is some serious sand. And actually, for beach volleyball players, that’s what you want to get playing in. It is absolutely picturesque”. Even when it was damp, the dust was still perfect, according to the players.

Sibelco’s Montgru page produces sand, the highest quality of dust, which is generally used for construction, glasses, sports and leisure, solar energy and agriculture industries, according to the bank’s website. The dust meets Olympic standards, being really good with grain sizes between 250 and 500 millimeters. It costs$ 67 ( EUR 61.80 ) per cubic ton, according to Sibelco, bringing the total cost of the Eiffel Tower Stadium to approximately$ 134, 000.
The players have a non-glaring edge thanks to the colored sugary color of the sand, which increases the beach vibe. But, the Eiffel Tower’s lamps gave a disco-like surroundings during Kloth and Nuss’s second match against Canada.
” It was so beautiful, especially when all the lights went out and we entered the place and saw everyone,” Nuss said. She described a late-night fit as a time of astonishment. ” And then you got to see the sight of the gentle display, the phones, all together. It was astounding”.
After the Games, the dust from this location will be repurposed on shore volleyball courts in Paris and surrounding areas as part of the IOC and FIVB’s responsibility. Sand for professional usage is in short supply and is expected to rise by 45 % over the next four years, according to a review from Leiden University in the Netherlands, despite the apparent infinite supply of beaches and desert around the world.
Beach tennis, one of the most well-known sporting in the Olympics, was first introduced in Atlanta in 1996, and it has since been practiced in locations as famous as Bondi Beach in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. Montgru dust rock supplied gravel for the Athens 2004 and London 2012 Olympic Games, according to FIVB. The business did not respond to a request for comment.