Rio de Janeiro, July 27, 2016 – Brazil celebrated the gold and silver medals that Sandra Pires/Jackie Silva and Monica Rodrigues/Adriana Samuel won, respectively, 20 years ago in the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games.
The inaugural edition of men’s and women’s beach volleyball was held at Atlanta 1996. Karch Kiraly and Kent Steffes were crowned men’s champions in the first-ever edition of the discipline in the Olympic Games. Kiraly/Steffes reigned over compatriots Mike Dodd and Mike Whitmarsh in the final.
In the women’s tournament at Atlanta 1996, Brazil had an apparent dominance in the discipline, as they topped 17 other participating countries for the very first gold and silver medals of beach volleyball. Sandra/Jackie and Monica/Adriana are pillars of Brazilian beach volleyball; they started a winning tradition which has provided Brazil with a dominant status in the sport.
On Wednesday, the Confederacao Brasileira de Voleibol (CBV) commemorated the victories of Sandra/Jackie and Monica/Adriana in a ceremony which also coincides with the countdown to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The four medallists were present at the ceremony, together with well-known personalities in the sport like Emanuel Rego and other honourees.
