Beach… volleyball, wrestling, soccer and handball kick off on the Brazilian sand

Rio 2024 FISU World University Championship Beach Sports offers you “four sports for the price of one” from 2-8 September.

When asked to picture a beach filled with sun, smiles and energy, most people will immediately think of Rio de Janeiro. And that is the exact setting, more precisely Botafogo Beach, for the very first FISU World University Championship Beach Sports.

“The Rio 2024 FISU Championship Beach Sports will be a celebration of education and sports in a new and vibrant landscape, said Luciano Cabral, FISU first vice-president and CBDU president. Beach sports in a beach environment, with an atmosphere that represents the young student spirit from all over the world, where the practice of sports – associated with a healthy and fun lifestyle – serves as a platform to build up future professionals with unforgettable experiences.”

The sports

There will be not one but four different tournaments taking place at Botafogo Beach in the heart of Rio de Janeiro. Three ball sports with beach volleyball, beach soccer and beach handball and then beach wrestling which will take place on the last two days of this brand new event.

Beach volleyball
This is a sport that is constantly being played on the Brazilian beaches but also on sand sometimes brought to the most unusual places, like town centers or main halls of train stations all over the world. We all have in mind the games recently placed right in front of the Eiffel tower in Paris. The last FISU World Championship Beach Volleyball also took place in Brazil, in Maceio in 2022.

Beach wrestling
The beach wrestling is scheduled on 7 and 8 September and is possibly the surprise sport of this quatuor. The athletes will be divided in four categories per gender group .

Beach soccer
Another loved sport in Brazil, probably because it unites the country’s passion both for having fun close to the waves and for football. Less players than for regular soccer, fast paced action and sand flying everywhere: what’s not to like?

Beach handball
Less known as its cousin which is played with the feet, beach handball. It is also extremely close to regular handball, but since the ball loses almost all of its bounce in the sand, there is hardly any dribbling involved and the players progress with a lot more passes.

The teams

34 countries have answered the call of the seaside and will be competing in the four different sports. 376 student-athletes have travelled to Rio de Janeiro from all over the world. They will represent Argentina, Australia, Austria, The Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, France, Great Britain, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Kosovo, Saudi Arabia, Lithuania, New-Zealand, Oman, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Slovenia, Serbia, Switzerland, Slovakia, Uruguay and the United States.

The progamme

You can secure your ticket to the sun simply by logging on to FISU.tv, where all the matches will be streamed live. For more info and results, don’t hesitate to visit the event’s official website.

Written by Thérèse Courvoisier