Angelo Squeo, the FIVB technical supervisor, Friday said that
the heat they experienced these days in Beijing won't undermine the
open-air beach volleyball tournament in the 2008 Olympic Games one year later.
The giant Italian, who is inspecting the details of the
organizing work at the beach volleyball venue during the Aug. 13-19
FIVB women's challenger in Beijing, dismissed the high temperature
as a negative factor to ruin the event.
"Top class players are used to playing in summer times around
the world. We went to Brazil with 44 degrees centigrade and Italy
with 35. Our players are used to this kind of weather condition.
Besides, most of the players just play once per day," said Squeo,
"but of course we will put more facilities inside the stadium to
help cool down."
One of the 42 test events planned for Beijing Olympic venues to
assess preparations for the August 8-24 Games next year, the
women's challenger is being played under a maximum temperature of
35 degree centigrade during the day session. The humidity, a usual
company of the heat, can simultaneously keep the skin wet from day
to night.
"There will be more fans to lower down the temperature for the
players, especially at the timeout area and the playes' lounges,"
said Squeo, who has been inspecting the sport since Atlanta
Olympics in the past 14 years.
"We will arrange the night session like we did in Athens. The
athletes like it and the spectators also like it. The condition is
good. Some spectacular matches featuring Chinese players will be
put at night."
Following exactly the Olympic formula, the challenger's matches
take place in day session and night session separately. The
semifinals and final, like the Athens Games, will be held in the
morning, which accommodates the American needs.
"As for the spectators, More than 20 fans in the stands and more
shadows around the stadium will be put during the Games to help
them cool down, it's an effective way in Athens 2004. We will also
make the best use of the fountain in front of the stadium," said
Squeo.
The playing ground, which was built by about 17,000 tonnes of
fine-grained sand in Chaoyang Park of eastern Beijing, is the exact
venue to hold the Olympic beach volleyball event, from 9th to 22nd
August, 2008.
The Italian, partnering Portuguese Jose Casanova, technical
supervisor in refereeing and Australian Blair Harrison, a member
from FIVB control committee, on the inspecting tour, gave almost
full marks to the test event and the venue, saying that he has
reached some agreement with Wang Qishan, mayor of the Chinese
capital, to keep the venue after the Olympics and hold more FIVB
beach volleyball tournaments.
"The Chinese attitude towards beach volleyball has been changing
sharply these years, they are getting used to watching games under
the sun and learned to enjoy the entertainment-like sports. We can
prove this at this year's Shanghai Open," Squeo said.
"The best way to promote beach volleyball in China is playing
and watching the sport at Olympics. I believe that after the Games
on your home soil, Chinese people will like beach volleyball more
than before."
(Xinhua News Agency August 18, 2007)
