INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC ACADEMY 7th JOINT - IOA

the good relationships between the volleyball association and local
authorities, helps in planning and staging beach volleyball activities
within their territory and with full cooperation and assistance from
them (Radom, 2003); the infrastructure needed to conduct beach
volleyball activities is not complicated and consists low costs: no need
for indoor court, the equipment necessary is a net and a ball, no need
for professional skills to take part in the sport - everyone can play
(Solomon, 2003). This are the principal strengths identified by the
general director of the volleyball association and the beach volleyball
coordinator.
Weakness - according to Radom (2003) and Oren (2003) the lack
of professional knowledge and human resources within the sport of
beach volleyball, such as coaches and players with sufficient
international experience, is one of the main weaknesses of the sport
and the beach volleyball 'organisation'. Solomon (2003) identifies the
lack of consent within the general assembly/directory of the volleyball
association and the professional board of the association regarding the
importance of beach volleyball as an enhancer for money collection,
which will contribute to indoor volley as well, and as the sport with
the highest probabilities of winning medals in international
competitions. Thus, the priority the sport gets among other projects
within the association is not high and it appears in the allocation of
funds. Dekel (2003) whom his department is the one to allocate the
government's financial resources to the sport associations, states that
the amount given to each association should be distributed in the most
effective way in order to result in high athletic achievements.
Opportunities - among all interviewees the most common response
was that the Israeli weather, almost nine months of good sunny
weather, and the 180 km of seashores in Israel, are the biggest
opportunity to a sport organization to attract members to it by
conducting beach volleyball activities. Radom (2003) adds that
staging an international tournament in Israel will help in marketing the
sport to the public, to athletes and to potential sponsors, thus enlarging
the number of members of the beach volleyball 'organisation'. It will
also give an international recognition to the beach volleyball
'organisation' in Israel.
Threats - Salomon and Radom (2003) consider the lack of
financial resources, internal and external, as the major threat to beach
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