No Beach Volleyball in Corona times?
All over the world, playing beach volleyball has been massively restricted. Due to the coronavirus outbreak and associated lockdowns or curfews (e.g. in Spain or France), beaches have been closed, public courts are inaccessible, playing beach volleyball has been prohibited. At some Californian beaches, local authorities have cut down all beach volleyball nets. So there is no way playing beach volleyball all over the world? Not really…
Sweden allows playing beach volleyball in public
In Sweden, beach volleyball is still a normal daily activity. As you can see on the news and in our featured image, the country is not following the typical shutdown approach that brings daily life and all sports to a halt. Most restaurants, sports facilities and outdoor locations are open. In Sweden’s capital Stockholm, beach volleyball is quite a popular activity. Last weekend, some Stockholm beach volleyball enthusiasts made use of the public outdoor courts to enjoy a match though the weather is still a bit chilly (around 10 degree Celsius). Locals say that the courts are pretty much as busy as usual. As long as the gatherings are 50 people or less, these activities adhere to the official regulations.
In Berlin the situation is somewhat tricky
In other European cities like Zurich or Berlin, the situation is not as clear as in Sweden. Some folks are still following their passion and playing in the parks. In Berlin, official facilities are closed but you can bring your own net to the park. The police is tolerating 2 vs 2 beach volleyball in parks. Generally, groups of two are allowed in German public and with two players at each side of the net, the rules are respected. Several medical studies suggest that a transmission of coronavirus via objects (i.e. the ball) is highly unlikely. In Switzerland, groups of up to 5 persons are allowed. This can obviously be interpreted as a permission to continue playing beach volleyball.
As we can see, the global situation varies from a total lockdown or even curfew to life almost as normal. How is the beach volleyball situation in your area and how do you approach it? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
