A cache in the Geocaching Olympics series.
Beach volleyball started out in California as a pastime. Due to its popular appeal, it developed into a thriving professional sport.
Beach volleyball first appeared in the early 1920s in Santa Monica, California. Then what started out as just some family fun became a sport spreading rapidly across the world. By the 1930s, the game had reached countries like Czechoslovakia, Latvia and Bulgaria.
Interestingly, beach volleyball really took off in the United States during the 1930s, perhaps as a little relief from the Great Depression. The first official two-man tournament took place in 1947, and the first beach volleyball circuit, involving hundreds of players and five California beaches, began in the 1950s.
However, it was the crossover with popular culture that really launched the sport. In the 1960s, The Beatles appeared at the legendary Sorrento Beach in Los Angeles for a quick hit and U.S. President John F. Kennedy even went to watch a game. Its cool image was a sponsor’s dream, and prize money soon poured into the sport.
Beach Volleyball had its Olympic debut at Altlanta 1996, with USA winning the most medals.