Volleyball at the 2020 Summer Olympics — volleyball events at the 2020 Summer Olympics
The 2020 Summer Olympics volleyball tournaments, held in Tokyo in 2021, were the first Olympic volleyball events delayed by a global pandemic.
Key Facts
- Tournament dates
- 24 July – 8 August 2021
- Indoor volleyball teams
- 24 teams
- Beach volleyball teams
- 48 teams
- Indoor venue
- Ariake Arena, Ariake
- Beach venue
- Shiokaze Park Stadium
- Delay reason
- COVID-19 pandemic
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted the IOC and the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee to announce on 24 March 2020 that the 2020 Summer Olympics would be postponed. This was an unprecedented disruption to the Olympic schedule, pushing the Games — and all associated sporting events including volleyball — back by a full year.
Volleyball tournaments at the 2020 Summer Olympics were held in Tokyo between 24 July and 8 August 2021. Twenty-four teams competed in indoor volleyball at Ariake Arena, while 48 teams contested beach volleyball at the temporary Shiokaze Park Stadium in Shiokaze Park.
Despite being held a year later than planned and under pandemic-related conditions, the volleyball competitions concluded on 8 August 2021. The postponement demonstrated the Olympic movement's capacity to adapt major multi-sport events in response to global health crises, setting a precedent for future contingency planning.