Despite days of heavy rain in Paris during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the Eiffel Tower Stadium hosted its first beach volleyball events on Saturday. The striking venue, with 11,800 seats and the Eiffel Tower looming in the backdrop, left spectators exposed to the elements due to the lack of a roof or awning. Despite getting drenched, fans did not seem to mind and cheered on the competing teams.
In the first match of men’s Pool D, the American duo Miles Partain and Andy Benesh were defeated by Cuba in straight sets. Although the United States lost, Benesh remained optimistic about their performance and looked forward to the next match against Egypt. The second game of the day saw Sweden’s top-ranked pairing defeating Australia.
The beach volleyball matches continued despite the heavy rain, with spectators enthusiastically supporting the players through every serve and block. Mexican waves, chants, and stamping on the bleachers kept spirits high during breaks in the game.
The rain is expected to stop on Sunday, and beach volleyball matches will continue at the Eiffel Tower Stadium until the men’s gold and bronze medal matches on August 10. American teams, including Chase Budinger and Miles Evans for men, and Taryn Kloth, Kristen Nuss, Kelly Cheng, and Sara Hughes for women, will be competing for medals. Spectators, even those in unconventional attire like Stars-and-Stripes suits, were captivated by the spectacular venue and view of the Eiffel Tower.
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