Beach volleyball was held at a specially constructed court at the Horse Guards’ Parade, which is a large parade ground in Whitehall in central London. The court had temporary stands for up to 15,000 spectators and was considered one of the most spectacular venues of the London Olympics, as it was surrounded by Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, and backed up against 10 Downing Street.
On the women’s side, Kerri Walsh and Misti May-Treanor became only the second team ever to win a third consecutive Olympic gold medal with the exact same team members, following only the Slovakian Hochschorner brothers in Canadian canoe slalom doubles in 2000-08.