Paris Olympics: American Entries Halved for Beach Volleyball Tournament
Introduction The Paris Olympics, which is an epitome of international sportsmanship, are expected to draw in many disciples with the participation of the best sportsmen. Of these, beach volleyball has been able to impress the fans of the game with a high energy and a very attractive style of play as well as athletic stunts. However, the upcoming tournament has been marked by a significant development: the significant decline in the number and quality of the American participation heated debates especially among the international sporting circles. Analysis of the Current Setting of the Paris Olympics The Paris Olympics that are expected to kick off to the expectations of the fans in summer of the year 2024, are expected to provide fans with some of the best sporting events. The best sportspeople of the world and different disciplines will come together to participate in the Olympic Games in the capital city of France The Evolution of Beach Volleyball at the Olympics. A sport as versatile as beach volleyball was first included in the Olympic sports calendar at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and soon became one of the favorites with the audiences, owing to impressive dynamics, speed, and general responsiveness of the game. In beach volleyball, the United States has always been strong in men and women’s competition with such athletes as Kerri Walsh Jennings, Misty May-Treanor female and Phil Dalhausser a male athlete. Amidst the excitement surrounding the Paris Olympics, the realm of beach volleyball has faced a surprising setback: We most certainly saw a sharp decline in such a major player and a member of the United Nations, like the United States. The USA in the past and up to today has had teams/athletes that have had a good substantiality in beach volleyball games. However, one would like to point out that for the subsequent tournament, the number of American participants is significantly lower which is also indicative of the phase of this game’s transition. Reasons for the Decrease This also highlights preconceptions that give the impression that there are few Americans in the Paris Olympics beach volleyball tournament. First of all, there are organizational considerations which are characteristic for the given COVID-19 situation and which impacts the given training process and the readiness of the athletes globally. Preventative measures regarding equipment proved to be a nuisance to the American beach volleyball players who yearned to get to international trips and events in a bid to achieve performance standards that would qualify them for such and such events. As for the chances, someone will note that the changes in the sources of financing and support structures affecting the American sports system might have affected athletes’ activity. Transition economies or economies near to transition means changes in the priorities and resources as dictated by the happenings that have in one or the other way affected the prospects that could have see the American beach volleyball teams overpower other foreign counterparts. Qualification Process and Its Challenges It is taken with a lot of seriousness especially when one is trying to qualify for the Olympics since they want the best teams to compete. This includes world rankings, along with the results of teams achieved in international competitions, as well as, qualification for the continents. But this year American teams had their troubles test them in an unprecedented manner. The COVID-19 pandemic became the reason for multiple restrictions and cancellations of events that affected the usual dynamic of the qualification process and players’ preparation. Some of the American athletes could barely participate in the number of global events that they otherwise would have had in a usual Olympic season to qualify or perform better in the ranking systems. Interruptions in Training and Their Effects Competition schedules, as well as training schedules, were among the challenges that the pandemic influenced. Volleyball on the beach, unlike many other sports, depends on the conditions under which a training process is carried out. Now the factors that primarily decide the quality of sand, local weather conditions as well as availability of proper methods and tools are of paramount importance. The training centers, and the restricted access to the beaches affected training schedules of many American athletes as they could not standard their optimal eligibility schedules. Besides, the health protocols such as social distancing measures hindered training and athletes need to look for work-arounds or train alone, which could negatively affect the cohesiveness of the group. Failure to conduct normal and intense practices and or match with International sides has probably pushed down the American entries. Financial Constraints and Sponsorship Issues In this regard, one of the significant aspects of an athlete’s preparedness involves the level of financing. More so, athletes in beach volleyball have seek sponsorships, winnings, and grants from national body within United States of America. These sponsorship sources can be considered typical, as the economic conditions connected with the Covid-19 pandemic affect all spheres of human life, and, as a result, fewer sponsorships and financial contributions are provided to athletes. A number of sponsors have reduced their spending while the events which athletes attend have been called off implying that the amounts of money athletes receive in regard to financing their activities are reduced. This has put some athletes to relatively uncomfortable choices about their employment and has probably played a part in the reduced number of American teams that can afford to go through the time and the money, necessary for Olympic qualification. Shifts in Focus and Strategy As observed in the America sports system, there appears to be shift of attention to other new emerging sports and areas of development. Due to the fact that resources are scarce, national sports organizations have had to define mechanisms of distributing their funding and support. New minds have been paid on some types of sports such as skateboarding and surfing which was introduced in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the likes. This strategic change has entailed that even though beach volleyball has perhaps the most rich