{"id":81190,"date":"2024-02-29T15:29:45","date_gmt":"2024-02-29T15:29:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/?p=81190"},"modified":"2024-05-14T22:46:17","modified_gmt":"2024-05-14T21:46:17","slug":"from-copacabana-to-canton-how-cardiff-became-a-beach-volleyball-hotspot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/sport-health\/from-copacabana-to-canton-how-cardiff-became-a-beach-volleyball-hotspot","title":{"rendered":"From Copacabana to Canton: How Cardiff became a beach volleyball hotspot"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Forget Rio and San Diego, Cardiff Beach Volleyball is leading the way for the sport &#8211; and they want to go to the Olympics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/cardiff-beach-volleyball-sport.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-81194\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/cardiff-beach-volleyball-sport.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/cardiff-beach-volleyball-sport-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/cardiff-beach-volleyball-sport-770x434.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/cardiff-beach-volleyball-sport-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/cardiff-beach-volleyball-sport.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-81194\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/cardiff-beach-volleyball-sport.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/cardiff-beach-volleyball-sport-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/cardiff-beach-volleyball-sport-770x434.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/cardiff-beach-volleyball-sport-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Victoria Park is home to the training centre for the Welsh national team, with club members also competing in Commonwealth and Olympic qualifying events (Credit: Cardiff Beach Volleyball gallery)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s hard to be distant from sport in Cardiff. The national religion that is rugby has its cathedral in the form of the Principality Stadium. Football is also well-served with Cardiff City and Cardiff Met FC serving both the English and Welsh leagues respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As wet and windswept as the Welsh capital may be, even Sophia Gardens carved out a space for cricket, ice hockey has a home with the Cardiff Devils. Cardiff\u2019s stadia are homes for its beloved sports.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But one sport in particular has spent decades looking for a home and the sense of identity that comes with it &#8211; beach volleyball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s got to be 30 years ago that we got interested in it, but there wasn&#8217;t anywhere to play. We went to a beach in west Wales somewhere and we just had two pieces of wood, a piece of string and an old football,\u201d said Carl Haywood, co-founder of Cardiff Beach Volleyball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It would then become a decades-long journey for Carl Harwood and Mike Constantinou to cultivate a sport that many thought impossible in Wales.  After winning an amateur tournament with the UK Beach Volleyball Tour, they committed to what seemed like an impossible dream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe came back to Cardiff and started looking around for clubs. There were a couple of indoor clubs, but there was nothing for beach volleyball. Yet we\u2019ve got Barry Island beach on our doorstep. We said to each other, \u2018Well, let&#8217;s set up a little club and start running it,\u2019 said Carl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"756\" height=\"425\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/cardiff-beach-volleyball-membership.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-81260\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/cardiff-beach-volleyball-membership.jpg 756w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/cardiff-beach-volleyball-membership-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/cardiff-beach-volleyball-membership-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 756px) 100vw, 756px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"756\" height=\"425\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/cardiff-beach-volleyball-membership.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-81260\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/cardiff-beach-volleyball-membership.jpg 756w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/cardiff-beach-volleyball-membership-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/cardiff-beach-volleyball-membership-293x165.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 756px) 100vw, 756px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cardiff Beach Volleyball is home to over 120 junior players who take part in U18 and U20 tournaments (Credit: Cardiff Beach Volleyball gallery)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>It would be an uphill struggle, but eventually the Barry Island outfit boasted 60 to 70 avid beach volleyball players. Yet the beach courts couldn\u2019t last &#8211; neither the tide, nor the town council could guarantee space for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A lifeline would come from the heart of the capital, when Carl and Mike were informed of a disused bowls green by Cardiff City Council.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey had offered us a few places over a period of five or six years, but nothing was suitable. Then they came to us with Victoria Park Bowling Green. I grew up there, it was my childhood park, so we bit their hand off. We started off with just two courts and they were full all the time,\u201d said Carl.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was a nervous new beginning. Locals laughed off the plans and both founders were now facing financial headaches aplenty \u2013 with one of the first bills being the \u00a319 per tonne price tag of sand. That adds up when you need 200 tonnes per court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And yet Victoria Park has now been the home of beach volleyball in Cardiff for almost 10 years, with six full courts now.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1449\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/5-weird-sports-1024x1449.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-81255\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/5-weird-sports-1024x1449.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/5-weird-sports-212x300.jpg 212w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/5-weird-sports-770x1089.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/5-weird-sports-1086x1536.jpg 1086w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/5-weird-sports-1448x2048.jpg 1448w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/5-weird-sports-293x414.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/5-weird-sports-1400x1980.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/5-weird-sports.jpg 1587w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1449\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/5-weird-sports-1024x1449.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-81255\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/5-weird-sports-1024x1449.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/5-weird-sports-212x300.jpg 212w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/5-weird-sports-770x1089.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/5-weird-sports-1086x1536.jpg 1086w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/5-weird-sports-1448x2048.jpg 1448w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/5-weird-sports-293x414.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/5-weird-sports-1400x1980.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/5-weird-sports.jpg 1587w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Carl is a big believer in the phrase \u2018Build it, and they will come,&#8217; but his belief in the club and its ambitions couldn\u2019t be bigger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI predict now, within the next three to five years, we will see Welsh representatives in the Commonwealth Games and the Olympic Games, which has never happened before. Really, it&#8217;s that close. It&#8217;s that close.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s testament to the investment, both financially and emotionally, that Carl and Mike have been constantly supporting the club with for decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cardiff has been consistently growing its reputation as a city for beach volleyball. It has been hosting national under-19s and under-20s tournaments for the last five years and there are calls to invite international teams over to create what Carl envisages as beach volleyball\u2019s answer to the Six Nations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOur junior clubs are really great, they have access to a facility 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but it&#8217;s taken a long road to get to that. Now we&#8217;re seeing the results &#8211; these juniors are now ranking within the top 15 within the country,\u201d said Carl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That access also comes largely without cost. The club doesn&#8217;t charge its youth members a membership and, if anything, wants them to bring parents, friends, indeed anyone who is curious about the sport to give it a go at one of the regular trial sessions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But as Carl is all too aware, the growing success of the club is closely followed by the growing costs of running it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re competing against sports like rugby and football, but we&#8217;re classed as a minority sport,\u201d said Carl. \u201cThe biggest problem is funding. Me and Mike are putting in every spare cent that we&#8217;ve got into the business, not for any financial reward, not for any glory or fame, but because we truly believe that this could be great for not only Wales, but for the whole UK.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cardiff City Council is hailing Victoria Park as a success story, but that success was the result of years of convincing others that beach volleyball was earning its keep in a city dominated by rugby and football.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">Beach volleyball has its fair share of celebrity fans too<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"595\" height=\"799\" loading=\"lazy\" data-id=\"81210\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/1647970118_5815dcec72_o-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-81210\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/1647970118_5815dcec72_o-1.jpg 595w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/1647970118_5815dcec72_o-1-223x300.jpg 223w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/1647970118_5815dcec72_o-1-293x393.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 595px) 100vw, 595px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"595\" height=\"799\" data-id=\"81210\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/1647970118_5815dcec72_o-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-81210\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/1647970118_5815dcec72_o-1.jpg 595w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/1647970118_5815dcec72_o-1-223x300.jpg 223w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/1647970118_5815dcec72_o-1-293x393.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 595px) 100vw, 595px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Leonardo Dicaprio hit the headlines, ironically, when he took a volleyball to the face during a game in 2019<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"214\" height=\"314\" loading=\"lazy\" data-id=\"81212\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/8117861443_f9a7916ffb_o.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-81212\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/8117861443_f9a7916ffb_o.jpg 214w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/8117861443_f9a7916ffb_o-204x300.jpg 204w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 214px) 100vw, 214px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"214\" height=\"314\" data-id=\"81212\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/8117861443_f9a7916ffb_o.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-81212\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/8117861443_f9a7916ffb_o.jpg 214w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/8117861443_f9a7916ffb_o-204x300.jpg 204w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 214px) 100vw, 214px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Charlize Theron regularly turns to beach volleyball in between film shoots<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" data-id=\"81214\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/27542526353_f7182ebdd1_o.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-81214\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/27542526353_f7182ebdd1_o.jpg 683w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/27542526353_f7182ebdd1_o-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/27542526353_f7182ebdd1_o-293x439.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"81214\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/27542526353_f7182ebdd1_o.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-81214\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/27542526353_f7182ebdd1_o.jpg 683w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/27542526353_f7182ebdd1_o-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/27542526353_f7182ebdd1_o-293x439.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Prince Harry attended the beach volleyball at the 2012 Olympics, but is also an avid player<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"320\" height=\"459\" loading=\"lazy\" data-id=\"81272\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/6331350559_0dd9c32604_o.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-81272\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/6331350559_0dd9c32604_o.jpg 320w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/6331350559_0dd9c32604_o-209x300.jpg 209w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/6331350559_0dd9c32604_o-293x420.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"320\" height=\"459\" data-id=\"81272\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/6331350559_0dd9c32604_o.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-81272\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/6331350559_0dd9c32604_o.jpg 320w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/6331350559_0dd9c32604_o-209x300.jpg 209w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/intercardiff\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2024\/02\/6331350559_0dd9c32604_o-293x420.jpg 293w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Baywatch must have been the perfect practice for David Hasselhof, who celebrated his 60th birthday on a Santa Monica beach enjoying a game.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;ve been doing this for over 30 years. Getting finances for the sport has been, and will always be, an uphill struggle,\u201d said Carl. \u201cIt&#8217;s never easy because asking companies and people for financial support for a sport is always going to be difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The work has already begun in earnest. Carl is also a hardware engineer at BBC Wales and has extensively developed the club\u2019s online presence to attract new members \u2013 he has even built an outdoor broadcasting unit at the club to livestream games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite that, Carl believes it\u2019s sad that people will only look up when medals are being won in their given sport, but he equally knows the publicity gained from a member of Cardiff Beach Volleyball perhaps becoming a Commonwealth or Olympic medalist is what they dream of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Going forward, Carl hopes to see Cardiff increase its stature on the international circuit. He wants to send out junior teams more regularly to European competitions, but he equally wishes to put Cardiff forward as a host for more tournaments. It&#8217;s a sense of ambition that seems limitless. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf I left it as it is now, it\u2019ll survive quite easily \u2013 we have enough memberships and we have enough courts &#8211; I think it\u2019ll survive for the next 10, 20 years. But it&#8217;s not just about surviving. It&#8217;s about making it better, particularly for people who&#8217;ve never thought of playing the sport to play the sport,\u201d said Carl.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Forget Rio and San Diego, Cardiff is leading the way for the sport &#8211; and they want to go to the Olympics<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1077,"featured_media":81194,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1209],"class_list":["post-81190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport-health"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>From Copacabana to Canton: How Cardiff became a beach volleyball hotspot - 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