Thursday, August 3, 2000
Beach Volleyball News Online

Bondi ready for fun and games

The £7 million project to transform Bondi Beach into an oasis for frenzied Olympic beach volleyball fans has caused a storm of protest in Australia since the moment it was approved by the local Waverley Council.

Residents of one of the world's most famous beaches led the opposition campaign. However, when the temporary stadium was handed over to the Sydney Organising Committe for the Olympic Games (Socog) this week, many were impressed by the architectural merits of the work.

Ian Smith and Alastair Swayn of Daryl Jackson Robin Dyke Architects designed the 10,000-seater stadium to have minimal environmental impact. Bondi Pavillion and the stadium will be linked not, as was firt suggested by an overhead walkway but instead through long-defunct tunnels that have been reopened under Queen Elizabeth Drive, which skirts the beach.

The seating has been kept deliberately low so that the rim sits on the horizon as seen from Campbell Parade, the road level above the beach. Sight of sea and sunset are therefore not lost to local residents.

The pay-off to Bondi for use of its beach included a much-needed facelift for the pavillion and the Bondi Surf Lifesaving Club, the oldest of its kind in Australia.