Sand for Olympic beach volleyball ground arrives in Beijing (photos attached)

(BEIJING, June 29) -- 22 trucks loaded with sand from Dongfang City (Hainan Province) arrived Friday in Chaoyang Park in Beijing, the venue for the beach volleyball competitions of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

The sand was first shipped to Tianjin Harbor by sea; some 10,000 tons will be arriving in Beijing in four days. The sand will cover the 20,000 sq m-ground to be used for the 2007 FIVB Beach Volleyball Women's Challenger from August 13-19, 2007.

This summer's beach volleyball tournament involves 24 teams from around the world and is the largest such event yet to take place in China.

To protect the sand from dirt during transportation, the trucks were washed and cleaned up before being loaded and covered with tarpaulin.

In early July, an expert from the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) from Canada will examine the sand and give instructions on how to complete the ground. In mid or late July, the last layer of sand will be spread.

The sand used on beach volleyball grounds must meet the Olympic standards for shape, size and color. A reporter said it feels thin and mellow, and runs quickly through the fingers. This is precisely what is required for the competitions -- to protect the athletes from being injured and to enable them to dust the sand off their bodies easily.

Hainan sand unloaded after arrival in Beijing

Workers seal sand bags.

Workers store the sand bags in rows expected to be 3 meters tall

Workers put the sand into bags.