Beach volleyball shines at every Olympics, but nothing compares to Paris. With the Eiffel Tower as its backdrop, the venue is one of the most stunning spots of the 2024 Games.
The location isn’t the only impressive feature. To build the beach volleyball venue at the base of the Eiffel Tower, approximately 2,000 tons of sand was brought from Sibelco’s Montgru-Saint-Hilaire sand quarry. Located 62 miles from the venue, the decision highlighted Paris 2024’s and the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball’s (FIVB) commitment to sustainable operations.
“Whoever made that sand did a great job,” Team USA’s Taryn Kloth told reporters after her match. On the first day of the beach volleyball competition, featuring 24 women’s and 24 men’s teams, Kloth and her partner Kristen Nuss, beat Canada, under torrential rain. “That is some deep sand. And honestly, for beach volleyball players, that’s what you want to be playing in. It is definitely pristine.” Players said the sand was perfect even when it was wet.
Sibelco’s Montgru site produces silica, the highest quality of sand, which is mainly used for construction, glass, sports and leisure, renewable energy and agriculture industries, according to the company’s website. The sand meets IOC standards, being extremely fine with grain sizes between 250 and 500 microns. 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 sand’s brown sugar tone not only enhances the beach feel but also provides a non-glaring surface for the players. However, the Eiffel Tower’s lights gave a disco-like atmosphere during Kloth and Nuss’s first match against Canada.
“It was so magical, especially when all the lights went down and we walked into the venue and saw all of the fans,” Nuss said . She described a late-night match as a moment of awe. “And then you got to see the spectacle of the light show, the phones, everything together. It was unbelievable.”
As part of the IOC and FIVB’s commitment, the sand from this venue will be repurposed on beach volleyball courts in Paris and surrounding areas after the Games. While beaches and deserts around the globe seem to carry infinite amounts, sand for industrial use is in short supply, and the demand will rise by 45% over the next four decades, according to a study from Leiden University in the Netherlands.
One of the most popular sports in the Olympics, beach volleyball entered the calendar in 1996 in Atlanta and has often been played in world-famous venues such as Bondi Beach in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and Copacabana Beach in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. Montgru sand quarry supplied sand for the Athens 2004 and London 2012 Olympic Games, according to FIVB. The company did not respond to a request for comment.
