Athletes to Watch:
— Anders Mol and Christian Sorum, Norway: Mol had surgery in March to repair a broken bone in his left foot.
— Chase Budinger, United States: The 6-foot-7 former NBA player earned a berth with Miles Evans as the No. 2 U.S. men's pair.
— Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes, United States: The reigning world champions are hoping to keep alive a streak of U.S. medals on the women's side. Cheng could be the only American with Olympic experience.
— Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss, United States: Going to their first Olympics. Kloth is 6-foot-4 and Nuss is 5-foot-6.
— Steven van de Velde of the Netherlands has qualified after serving time in prison for a rape conviction.
Storylines to Follow:
— One of the Olympics' most telegenic sports will bring its beach party vibe to the Champ de Mars, between the Eiffel Tower and the École Militaire, in a park that once served as the training grounds for Napoleon Bonaparte.
— There is a passing of the torch among the super-successful American women, who have won four of the past five gold medals. Misty May-Treanor is retired, Kerri Walsh Jennings is 45, and Tokyo champions April Ross and Alix Klineman each took time off to start families.
Key Dates:
The preliminary rounds start July 27. The women's gold medal will be awarded on Aug. 9, followed the next night by the men's.
Reigning Champions
— Men: Anders Mol and Christian Sørum, Norway.
— Women: Alix Klineman and April Ross, United States.
