Angelo Squeo, the FIVB technical supervisor, Friday said that the heat they experienced these days in Beijing won't undermine the open-air beach volleyball tournament in the 2008 Olympic Games one year later.

The giant Italian, who is inspecting the details of the organizing work at the beach volleyball venue during the August 13-19 FIVB women's challenger in Beijing, dismissed the high temperature as a negative factor to ruin the event.

"Top class players are used to playing in summer times around the world. We went to Brazil with 44 degrees centigrade and Italy with 35. Our players are used to this kind of weather condition. Besides, most of the players just play once per day," said Squeo, "but of course we will put more facilities inside the stadium to help cool down."

One of the 42 test events planned for Beijing Olympic venues to assess preparations for the August 8-24 Games next year, the women's challenger is being played under a maximum temperature of 35 degree centigrade during the day session. The humidity, a usual company of the heat, can simultaneously keep the skin wet from day to night.

"There will be more fans to lower down the temperature for the players, especially at the timeout area and the playes' lounges," said Squeo, who has been inspecting the sport since Atlanta Olympics in the past 14 years.

"We will arrange the night session like we did in Athens. The athletes like it and the spectators also like it. The condition is good. Some spectacular matches featuring Chinese players will be put at night."

Following exactly the Olympic formula, the challenger's matches take place in day session and night session separately. The semifinals and final, like the Athens Games, will be held in the morning, which accommodates the American needs.

"As for the spectators, More than 20 fans in the stands and more shadows around the stadium will be put during the Games to help them cool down, it's an effective way in Athens 2004. We will also make the best use of the fountain in front of the stadium," said Squeo.

The playing ground, which was built by about 17,000 tonnes of fine-grained sand in Chaoyang Park of eastern Beijing, is the exact venue to hold the Olympic beach volleyball event, from 9th to 22nd August, 2008.

The Italian, partnering Portuguese Jose Casanova, technical supervisor in refereeing and Australian Blair Harrison, a member from FIVB control committee, on the inspecting tour, gave almost full marks to the test event and the venue, saying that he has reached some agreement with Wang Qishan, mayor of the Chinese capital, to keep the venue after the Olympics and hold more FIVB beach volleyball tournaments.

"The Chinese attitude towards beach volleyball has been changing sharply these years, they are getting used to watching games under the sun and learned to enjoy the entertainment-like sports. We can prove this at this year's Shanghai Open," Squeo said.

"The best way to promote beach volleyball in China is playing and watching the sport at Olympics. I believe that after the Games on your home soil, Chinese people will like beach volleyball more than before."

(Xinhua News Agency August 18, 2007)