Global Volleyball Family celebrates One Year to Go to Paris 2024

The global Volleyball Family today celebrates One Year to Go to Paris 2024 alongside the Olympic Movement, with the Games set to return to Paris for the third time in history and 100 years since the Games were last held in the enchanting city in 1924.

Set to take place from 26 July to 11 August 2024, Paris 2024 promises to be a milestone event, marking a new era for the Olympic Games. Spanning 19 days of fierce competition across 41 world-class venues, the Games will welcome 10,500 of the world’s finest athletes as the sporting world comes together for a celebration of sport.

Volleyball and beach volleyball will once again grace the Olympic stage, as two of the hottest tickets at the event. Volleyball (indoor and beach combined) was the most popular sport at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in terms of the accumulated number of viewer hours with over 2.6 billion hours.

So with incredible action to unfold, inspiring stories to be told and champions to be crowned, let’s look ahead as the one year countdown to Paris 2024 begins.

Volleyball ready to make its mark in Paris

One of the highlights of Paris 2024 will be volleyball’s first Olympic competition in the French capital. Having made its Olympic debut in Tokyo back in 1964, the sport has since grown in popularity and captured the hearts of hundreds of millions worldwide. Now, volleyball makes its mark in the iconic city of Paris for its 16th appearance on the Olympic programme, adding another chapter to its storied Olympic journey.

The South Paris Arena 1, located in the heart of the city, will be the stage for this new chapter. Spectators from all over the globe will witness breathtaking displays of skill, teamwork and passion as teams compete for the ultimate honour – an Olympic gold medal.

A quest for hometown glory

The anticipation grows as athletes from the French men's national volleyball team prepare to defend their historic gold medals from the previous Olympic Games held in Tokyo in 2021. The team's dedication and prowess on the court have already won them a dedicated following, and the Parisian crowd will undoubtedly rally behind them as they vie for Olympic glory once again.

The Road to Paris 2024 Olympic Qualifiers

Before any other teams can look ahead to the Olympic Games, they first need to secure one of 11 quota places per gender, with France having already qualified as the hosts. The first opportunity for teams to book their ticket to the Games is only a few months away with the Road to Paris 2024 Olympic Qualification Tournaments. The women’s event will take place between 16 and 24 September, spanning across China, Japan and Poland. Following closely, the men’s tournament will be held from 30 September to 8 October in Brazil, China and Japan.

The Olympic Qualification Tournaments will see the participation of 24 top eligible teams, determined by the World Rankings, who have not yet secured their place in the Games. These teams will be divided into three pools of eight teams per gender competing in a single round robin format. Only the top two teams from each pool will emerge victorious, earning their ticket to Paris 2024. The remaining quota spots will be decided via the FIVB World Rankings in June 2024.

Check out this video to learn about the Paris 2024 qualification system in under 2 minutes!

Beach volleyball to bring the action to the Eiffel Tower

Ever since its introduction to the Olympic programme at Atlanta 1996, beach volleyball has swiftly captured the hearts of sports enthusiasts worldwide, emerging as one of the most watched and beloved events at the Games. As we look forward to Paris 2024, beach volleyball is set to take centre stage once again, this time at the iconic Eiffel Tower Stadium, where 24 women's and 24 men's duos will fiercely compete for Olympic honours.

France seeks first Olympic medal with Volleyball Empowerment support

Hosts France will be on the hunt for their first ever Olympic beach volleyball medal, with the country’s best finish coming in Atlanta 1996 and having last qualified in Athens 2004. The country boasts a wealth of talent, including Youssef Krou and Arnaud Gauthier-Rat, who clinched their first Beach Pro Tour Elite16 gold in Torquay, Australia, and currently hold an impressive 13th rank in the World Rankings, as well as Julien Lyneel and Rémi Bassereau who turned to beach from indoor volleyball to pursue their Olympic dream in Paris.

French beach volleyball is also receiving coach and targeted support through the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment programme for its women’s and men’s national teams, with an investment of nearly CHF 600,000.

Journey to Paris

With France having already qualified one quota place as the host nation, 23 quotas per gender are up for grabs via three qualification routes: the winners of the 2023 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in Mexico, the 17 top ranked teams according to the FIVB Olympic Ranking and the winners of the five Continental Olympic Qualification Tournaments. France is also hoping to qualify its second team to the Olympic Games.

With only one year remaining until the grand celebration in Paris, the anticipation and excitement among the global Volleyball Family continues to grow. Paris 2024 promises to be a landmark event that showcases the very best of sportsmanship, athleticism and unity, bringing together athletes and fans from all corners of the world to celebrate the Olympic Games.