Beach volleyball According to current FIVB rules, female beach volleyball players have the option of playing in shorts or a one-piece swimsuit. Most players, however, prefer the two-piece bikini. Competitors such as Natalie Cook and Holly McPeak have confirmed the FIVB's claims that the uniforms are practical for a sport played on sand during the heat of summer, but British Olympian Denise Johns claimed that the regulation uniform is intended to be "sexy" and to draw attention. Other players have argued that the bikini is tied to the sport's "beach culture". During the 2004 Summer Olympic Games, a study was conducted on
Beach volleyball began testing rule changes to the court size and scoring system. The beach volleyball court dimension was reduced from the indoor court size of to , and the scoring system was changed from sideout scoring, wherein only the serving team can score a point, to rally scoring, wherein a point is scored on every serve. The Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) adopted the FIVB's rule changes that same year, which upset many of the sport's purists at the time. The new rules were officially adopted by the FIVB in 2002. Beach volleyball is fundamentally similar to indoor volleyball. However, there