A party inside beach volleyball arena
If you thought the picture with this story was taken from inside a football stadium, you couldn't have been further from the truth. The game that took place inside this arena did have a round ball in play, just like football, but there were only four players involved in the game. Now you know what the game was? Yes, you probably got it right; it was a game of beach volleyball -- a miniature outdoor version of volleyball with perhaps a greater glamour quotient to it than its indoor ancestor.
Now you might be thinking it was a game between two sets of women in bikinis, because all your life the sports channels you've watched have showed only the women's game. Wrong again. Men do play beach volleyball and they can attract a sizeable crowd to the game. It was indeed a men's game -- a group phase tie between hosts Brazil and neighbouring Cuba played at the Beach Volleyball Arena in Copacabana. And there were more than 20,000 people in the stands to watch the match.
The beach volleyball arena, unlike most other facilities set up for the Rio Olympics, is a temporary one. Raised right from where the waves break against the sands, the three-storey establishment has a large enough press tribune, and is surrounded by a media centre, a medical centre, souvenir shops and other facilities bordering the cafeterias that mark the coastline of the Copacabana beach. It's a large establishment and it buzzes with people.
Inside the arena it's a party atmosphere. Loud speakers blast Brazilian funk music nonstop, and the crowd, mostly clad in the vibrant yellow of the Brazilian national football team, lend their voice to the tunes. The emcee relays a running commentary of the game in his baritone voice and keeps the crowd on their feet by calling for Mexican waves during each time-out.
The crowd erupts as Brazil scores the first point of the match. Then Cuba scores one. Brazil scores again. It goes on like this -- neither of the teams manages more than a one-point cushion until Cuba makes it 22-20. Brazil score two but the Cubans restore the two-goal cushion to clinch the first set 24-22.
The second set turns out as intriguing as the first, and much to the crowd's delight, this time the hosts take the set at 23-21; which leads the tie to a deciding third and final. Brazil make a good start and keep a one-point lead until five. Then suddenly the Cuban team find a spring in their steps and grab the lead. They hold onto the lead to take the set 15-13 and the match 2-1.
The crowd appreciates the hosts' effort and congratulates the opposition's victory, but makes a quick exit. This is just a group phase tie and not a knock-out; so they will probably be back again in numbers when Brazil play their next match.
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