FIVB serves up nine Grand Slams for 2012

The game of beach volleyball may be struggling here in the U.S., but it appears to be alive and well around the world.

The FIVB announced its 2012 World Tour schedule Wednesday, and included are a record number of nine (9!) Grand Slams. That tops the previous high of six from 2008, 2010 and this season, and more than doubles the number of Grand Slams from any previous year. And that's not even including the 2012 London Olympics.

As the United States, the birthplace of beach volleyball, attempts to form one viable domestic tour, the World Tour now features a number of Grand Slam events that would make for a good circuit on its own.

Yet, since Grand Slams offer the largest prize purse in the game, you won't hear any players complaining. The FIVB says the total prize money for next year is $7.3 million, and if the payouts stay the same, that's $300,000 per Grand Slam, split evenly among both genders. A team gets $3500 just for qualifying for the main draw (as opposed to $2000 in an open event), and the winning pair walks with $43,500 (as opposed to $30,000).

But aside from the money, will it mean anything to win a Grand Slam? Beach volleyball's not on the same level as golf or tennis, but winning a "major" is annually a big deal every year. If those sports had nine major events, would it dilute the accomplishment?

The answer is yes, but in beach volleyball it doesn't really matter. The FIVB Grand Slams aren't in the same cities every year. Next summer's first Grand Slam will be in Shanghai, the first time the Chinese city has ever hosted a Grand Slam. It's safe to say winning that tournament won't be on par with winning at, say, Wimbledon.

That being said, the FIVB Grand Slam staples are back: Gstaad, Stavanger and, of course, Klagenfurt. Winning at Klagenfurt does mean something to beach pros, because no place in the world rivals the Austrian town in terms of fan turnout and enthusiasm. And like 2004 and 2008, Klagenfurt is the stop right before the Olympics.

But Klagenfurt will have nothing to do with Olympic qualifying, which ends June 17. That means the Rome Grand Slam is the last tournament in which teams can earn qualifying points, giving women six more World Tour events to get into the Games and the men seven more events. In all, it adds up to 21 total qualifying tournaments via the World Tour (the men had 14 this year and women 15).

The top 16 men's and women's teams from the world rankings at that point earn an Olympic berth for their country (up to two per nation per gender). Great Britain has an automatic berth for both genders, and the final seven spots for men and women will come from the five Continental Cup tournaments (June 18-24) and the World Cup Olympic Qualification tournament (June 25-July 1) at sites TBD.

Referring to the 2012 World Tour, Continental Cups, World Cup and Olympics, Dr. Ary Graca, president of the FIVB Beach Volleyball Commission, said, "This is by far the strongest and most extensive schedule the FIVB has ever produced."

Alive and well.