Female spectators were turned away from the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) World Tour leg

We continue to look forward to welcoming people of all ages and genders to this first ever FIVB Beach

Volleyball World Tour event in Iran."

banning women from attending football matches in the Islamic nation was controversially extended to volleyball

English duo Jake Sheaf and Chris Gregory advanced to the main draw as the International Volleyball Federation

nbsp;Norway’s Sadegh Mohajer and Jorn Olav Gamlemoen 21-16, 21-19 in their qualification match at the beach

volleyball event in Iran.

Organisers of this month's International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) World Tour Open event in Iran have

banning women from attending football matches in the Islamic nation was controversially extended to volleyball

awarding the event to Iran last November.Kish Island resort is due to host the event, the first FIVB Beach

Volleyball World Tour leg to be held in Iran ©beachonmap.comThey remain confident the ban will be fully

believe will prove successful.Ghoncheh Ghavami was jailed for violating the ban on women attending volleyball

Graça looks odds on for a second term as President of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB)

Confederation (CEV), and African Volleyball Confederation (CAVB) head Amr Elwani.South American Volleyball

Confederation (CSV) President Rafael Lloreda Currea, Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) head Saleh

back into power at this year's FIVB World Congress in Buenos Aires in Argentina, on October 5 and 6.Beach

volleyball on the Copacabana could be a highlight of Rio 2016 ©Getty ImagesHe also looks set to have

The beach volleyball competitions, which will take place on the world famous Copacabana Beach, could

World Olympians Association (WOA) treasurer Patrick Singleton will replace Senegal's Amadou Dia Ba as the WOA representative on the International Olympic Committee's Athletes' Commission following Rio 2016, it has been announced.

Fredericks - a former IOC Athletes' Commission chair himself - have also been selected along with Australian beach

volleyball star Natalie Cook and Swedish Alpine skier Pernilla Wiberg.US triple jumper Willie Banks 

Women who may be pregnant are being urged by the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) to carefully consider whether to attend this summer's Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro due to growing fears over Zika virus.

several cases of women who are pregnant competing in the Olympics.Notable examples include American beach

volleyball Kerri Walsh, who was a month pregnant at London 2012, where she won her third consecutive

She took part in the beach volleyball at Atlanta 1996 while four months pregnant.Precautions are not

Whisper it softly, but our sporting scandalometer was slightly steadier last week. We had the odd moment here and there: a Russian European Games boost and more FIFA Presidential manifestos, and tennis stepped up to the breach, of course, with a new spin placed on old allegations about match fixing.But the lack of major developments in the ever-escalating athletics and football dramas gave us more time to focus on other issues, including the still uncertain preparations for Rio 2016 after another chaotic week, which began with celebrations marking 200 days until the Opening Ceremony.

Freitas was abandoned, meaning a loss of 4,000 seats, with a reduction also mooted at the Copacabana Bay beach

volleyball venue.

The widely reported beach volleyball reduction, for example, turned out to be untrue and the result

The confusion over the volleyball reports would have been helped by a general correcting statement being

Rio 2016 and the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) have played down concerns that the number

of tickets for the Olympic beach competition on Copacabana Bay will be reduced, insisting only "infrastructural

behind the scenes" changes such as reducing the VIP facilities and shared areas for Games clients.Beach volleyball

FIVB would like to clarify that there are no plans to reduce the stadium capacity at the Rio 2016 beach

volleyball venue," the world governing body also told insidethegames today."

In fact, the FIVB is confident that the capacity on Copacabana Beach will be at least 12,000 and beach

volleyball will still be one of the signature events at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games."

As International Hockey Federation (FIH) President Leandro Negre jokingly said during his speech to guests at the recent Hockey Writers' Club lunch at the Royal Thames Yacht Club in London, the Spanish are no strangers to revolution.

“Volleyball has two - volleyball and beach volleyball - so why not hockey 5s?

Rio 2016 have scrapped plans for a 4,000-seater floating grandstand at the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas rowing and canoe sprint venue ahead of this summer's Olympic and Paralympic Games, organisers have confirmed.

Seating has also been reduced by a undisclosed amount at the beach volleyball venue on Copacabana Bay

) secretary general Simon Toulson also has a discussion with Rio 2016 scheduled for Friday.The beach

volleyball reduction, about which no precise details have yet been given, is another huge blow considering

from an original estimate of 5,000.insidethegames has contacted FISA, the ICF and the International Volleyball

The Algerian Olympic Committee (COA) has played host to "Sport-South" Olympic Week in Ouargla, which is said to provide an opportunity to consolidate the spirit of citizenship and social solidarity in accordance with universal Olympic and sport values.

took part in the seven sports on the programme - handball, judo, athletics, table tennis, swimming, beach

volleyball and karate - as well as the cultural activities on offer.Organised in collaboration with

Nintendo has announced the American release date for the video game Mario and Sonic At The Rio 2016 Olympic Games for 3DS devices.

their favourite characters from the Mario and Sonic franchises to play sports such as football and beach

volleyball, which have historically been popular sports in the host nation.Golf, which is making its

With Bahrain’s Shaikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa now quoted at odds of as short as 5/6 to become the next FIFA President next month, we need to take seriously what he has to say.

global development plan, new competitions and a dedicated and increased budget…“Sports such as golf, volleyball

that takes place once every four years – the FIFA World Cup.For all the experiments with futsal and beach

Last year proved a difficult one for the Olympic Movement, with the challenge of sustaining interest in bidding for major events hardly helped by scandals in FIFA and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), which together form the biggest threat to the running of global sport in generations.

Brazilian success will be most important, however, and as well as more established footballers and volleyball

to emerge, like 17-year-old archer Marcus D’Almeida and canoe sprint talent Isaquias QueirozBeach volleyball

should be two leading Brazilians at Rio 2016 ©Getty ImagesLifting of ban on women attending Iranian volleyball

matches: The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) do not have an easy task in negotiating the

That said, the FIVB have not helped themselves by awarding a World Tour beach event to Iran in February

Kellogg’s has announced it will be offering five winners a £15,000 ($22,300/€20,300) trip to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games via a text-to-win competition.

June, Kellogg’s will run the text to win competition with winners receiving tickets to athletics, beach

volleyball, boxing and modern pentathlon events.Additionally, as part of the package they will be able