Volleyball is decided on the basis of 3 out of 5 games. The first team to reach 15 points is the winner, but the margin must be more than 2 points. If the games is tied, the first team to 17 points wins. Points are only scored by the serving team. If the defensive team wins the rally, they also win the serve. In the fifth and deciding game the teams score points on every play even if the opposing side has served.

Each team begins with 3 players near the front and 3 players in the back court. After the serve, players may then move from their positions. The team wins a point when the ball strikes the ground of the opposing team, or when the opposing team, hits the ball out of bounds. For each play, the team may only touch the ball 3 times before sending it over the net. If a player blocks the ball at the net, that touch is not counted. Players are allowed to use any part of their body to hit the ball with, including feet.

Players are not allowed to touch the net when hitting the ball, trying to hit or pretending to hit the ball. The players on each team rotate counter clockwise after gaining the serve. Each team is permitted 6 substitute players per game, but, if a substitute is removed from the game, they may not return and they may only be replaced by the same player for which they were substituted.

The volleyball court is 18m long and 9m wide. The court is divided by a centre line, above which is a 1m net. The top of the net is 2.43m above the floor for men and 2.244 for women. The net itself is 9.5m long. A volleyball is between 62 and 67cm in circumference and weighs between 260 and 280 grams.

Volleyball was introduced as an Olympic sport in 1964. It will take place in the Sydney Entertainment Centre in Darling Harbour as well as in Pavilion 4 in Sydney Olympic Park.

The principles for beach volleyball are the same as those for normal volleyball, but there are significant differences. There are 2 players on a team, the court is made of sand and the players wear less clothing. There is the double elimination format leading to the semifinals and finals. In the preliminaries, 1 match is played to points.

The final match and third place match is the best 2 out of 3 sets. The first 2 sets won by the first team to score 12 points. If the third and deciding set is required, it must be won by 2 points and play can continue beyond 12 points until the 2 point margin is achieved.

As in regular volleyball in the deciding set, a point is scored by whichever team wins a rally rather than only by the serving team. There is no centre line in beach volleyball and the players are not required to keep a certain position.

Beach volleyball was introduced into the Olympic Games in 1996. It will take place at the beach volleyball centre on Bondi Beach, located in Sydney's East.

Volleyball:Top 5 Countries

	Male			Female
Country	G	S	B	G	S	B	Total
Soviet Union	3	2	1	4	3	-	13
Japan	1	1	1	2	2	1	8
United States	2	-	1	-	1	1	5
Poland	1	-	-	-	-	2	3
China	-	-	-	1	-	1	2