Beach volleyball the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) was founded. At the professional level, the sport remained fairly obscure until the 1980s when beach volleyball experienced a surge in popularity with high-profile players such as Sinjin Smith, Randy Stoklos, and Karch Kiraly. Kiraly won an Olympic gold medal in beach volleyball in its first Olympic appearance in 1996, adding that to the two Olympic golds he won as part of the USA men's indoor team, and has won 142 titles. In the 1980s, the sport gained popularity on the beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 1986, the
Beach Volleyball Database Beach Volleyball Database The Beach Volleyball Database is an online website that holds extensive information about international beach volleyball players, tournaments and history. News are frequently updated, and the site has results for continental and international tournaments. It is the only website of its kind in the sport of beach volleyball. The press operations officer for the AVP, Tim Simmons, has said that the Beach Volleyball Database has had a major impact on the sport. Information that is now easily accessible through the website, used to take time consuming research through different sources. Now professional athletes have a chance to