THE COMPETITION

The competition will include 48 men and 48 women playing in two divisions of 24. Each division is seeded, with 1 playing 24, 2 playing 23 and so on. The 12 losing teams in the first round play two more rounds in a losers' group, from which four survivors make it through to the group that includes the 12 winners. A single-elimination tournament of 16 teams ensues.

There are two players in each team. The aim is to hit the ball over a net and to score points by landing the ball in the opponents' side of the court.

The games is played on a court 18 metres long and 9 metres wide, marked out by coloured ribbon pegged out in the sand. It is divided into two equal courts by a one-metre wide net 2.43 metres high for men and 2.24 metres for women. The net must be taut, as in tennis, because the ball is still in play when deflected off the net, although it must not hit the net at the serve. The leather ball - weighing between 260g to 280g - must pass through a "crossing space" marked by antennae to count as a cross, and counts as a score if it lands on the border lines of the court.