Sand, sun and samba.
Even on a royal parade ground in the middle of staid London, the Olympic beach volleyball competition four years ago pulsated to the music of a DJ while dance teams jiggled during the breaks. When the Summer Games' sexiest sport opens in Rio de Janeiro, the biggest competition for the party atmosphere inside the venue could come from the surrounding Copacabana Beach.
Although the sport was invented in Southern California, its spiritual home could be the stretch of sand in Brazil where a temporary 12,000-seat stadium will welcome the world's top players. Among the favorites are the hometown teams, including two Brazilian women's tandems that will try to stop American Kerri Walsh-Jennings in her attempt at a fourth straight gold medal.