Olympic Games - Beach Volleyball

Having been a demonstration sport at the 1992 Olympics, Beach Volleyball was accepted as an official event for the first time in Atlanta in 1996.
Both the Men's and Women's events have 24 teams take part at each Games, with a maximum of two two teams per country. One place is reserved for the host nation and a `wildcard` country.
The men's tournament has always had 24 pairs in each edition. The Women's event had 18 teams in 1996 before being raised to equal the Men in 2000.

The venues have been as follows:
1996: Atlanta Beach, Jonesboro, United States
2000: Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia
2004: Faliro Coastal Zone Olympic Complex, Athens, Greece
2008: Chaoyang Park, Beijing, China
2012: Horse Guards Parade, London, Great Britain

Medallists