Volleyball at the 2012 Summer Olympics

The volleyball tournaments at the 2012 Olympic Games in London were exciting events that brought together the best players from around the world. The games happened between 28 July and 12 August, giving everyone a chance to watch amazing matches.

Indoor volleyball was played at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre in west London. This big venue was perfect for the fast-paced action of the indoor games. Meanwhile, fans could enjoy the beach volleyball tournaments at Horse Guards Parade in central London, where players competed on sand under the open sky.

These events were important because they showed how talented athletes can be when they play together as a team. People from many countries came to support their teams and cheer for their favorite players. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the sport of volleyball during the Olympic Games.

Events

Four different volleyball events took place at the 2012 Summer Olympics, and medals were awarded for each one. These events included men's and women's indoor volleyball, each with 12 teams, and men's and women's beach volleyball, each with 24 teams.

Qualifying criteria

Each National Olympic Committee could send one men's and one women's team for indoor volleyball, and two men's and two women's teams for beach volleyball.

The men's indoor volleyball qualification had special rules where the Asian and World Qualifiers were combined. The top team became the World Qualifier winner, and the best Asian team after that qualified as the Asian winner.

The women's indoor volleyball also combined the Asian and World Qualification Tournament. The top three teams won Olympic spots, and the best Asian team after those three qualified separately.

Means of qualification	Date	Host	Vacancies	Qualified
Host country	—N/a	—N/a	1	Great Britain
2011 World Cup	20 November – 4 December 2011	Japan	3	Russia
				Poland
				Brazil
African Qualifier	17–21 January 2012	Yaoundé	1	Tunisia
North American Qualifier	7–12 May 2012	Long Beach	1	United States
European Qualifier	8–13 May 2012	Sofia	1	Italy
South American Qualifier	11–13 May 2012	Burzaco	1	Argentina
1st World Qualifier	1–10 June 2012	Tokyo	1	Serbia
Asian Qualifier*			1	Australia
2nd World Qualifier	8–10 June 2012	Sofia	1	Bulgaria
3rd World Qualifier	8–10 June 2012	Berlin	1	Germany
Total			12

Means of qualification	Date	Host	Vacancies	Qualified
Host country	—N/a	—N/a	1	Great Britain
2011 World Cup	4–18 November 2011	Japan	3	Italy
				United States
				China
African Qualifier	2–4 February 2012	Blida	1	Algeria
North American Qualifier	29 Apr–5 May 2012	Tijuana	1	Dominican Republic
European Qualifier	1–6 May 2012	Ankara	1	Turkey
South American Qualifier	9–13 May 2012	São Carlos	1	Brazil
World Qualifier	19–27 May 2012	Tokyo	3	Russia
				South Korea
				Serbia
Asian Qualifier			1	Japan
Total			12

Means of qualification	Vacancies	Qualified
FIVB Beach Volleyball Olympic Ranking (as of 17 June 2012)	16	Brazil  United States  Germany  Netherlands  Poland  United States  Brazil  Germany  Spain  China  Switzerland  Czech Republic  Latvia  Latvia  Italy  Switzerland
2010–12 Continental Beach Volleyball Cup (confirmed on 2 July 2012)	5	Venezuela (South America)  South Africa (Africa)  Canada (North America)  Japan (Asia/Oceania)  Norway (Europe)
Beach Volleyball World Cup Final Olympic Qualification (26 June – 1 July 2012)	2	Austria  Russia
Host nation	1	Great Britain
Total	24

Means of qualification	Vacancies	Qualified
FIVB Beach Volleyball Olympic Ranking (as of 17 June 2012)	16	Brazil  China  United States  Brazil  United States  Netherlands  Italy  Germany  Czech Republic  Spain  Germany  Switzerland  Austria  Australia  Czech Republic  Greece
2010–12 Continental Beach Volleyball Cup (confirmed on 2 July 2012)	5	Mauritius (Africa)  Argentina (South America)  Russia (Europe)  Canada (North America)  Australia (Asia/Oceania)
Beach Volleyball World Cup Final Olympic Qualification (26 June – 1 July 2012)	2	Netherlands  Russia
Host nation	1	Great Britain
Total	24

Medal summary

Medal table

Medalists

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Brazil	1	2	1	4
2	United States	1	2	0	3
3	Germany	1	0	0	1
	Russia	1	0	0	1
5	Italy	0	0	1	1
	Japan	0	0	1	1
	Latvia	0	0	1	1
Totals (7 entries)		4	4	4	12