BEACH VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT RULES
2002 - 2003 SEASON
PLAYING AREA
The playing area consists of a rectangular playing court measuring 16 m x 8 m and a surrounding free zone that is a minimum of 3 m wide.
All lines are considered to extend indefinitely.
It is the responsibility of the players to assure that all lines are in their proper location prior to the start of each play.
Boundary lines that are moved during play shall not cause the rally to stop. If it cannot be determined whether a ball lands "in" or "out" as to where the rope should be, the rally shall be canceled and replayed.
The centre line is not marked for outdoor competition.
The service zone is behind the end line and between the extensions of the sidelines. It extends in depth to the end of the playing area.
The height of the net shall be 2.43 m (7'11 5/8") for men and 2.24 m (7'4 1/8") for women. It is measured from the center of the playing court with a measuring rod. The two ends of the net (over the sidelines) must be at the same height from the playing surface and may not exceed the official height by more than 2 cm (3/4").

BALL
The ball shall be spherical, made of a flexible leather or water-resistant leather-like cover and a rubber or rubber-like bladder. Its circumference shall be 65 to 68 cm (25 1/2" to 26 3/4"); its weight 260 to 280 grams (9 to 10 ounces), and its inside pressure 2.5 to 3.2 lb/sq in.

TEAMS
Doubles: 2 players and no substitutes;
Triples: 3 players and 1 substitute maximum;
Four-player: 4 players and 2 substitutes maximum;
Six-player: 6 players and 6 substitutes maximum.
Mixed teams are composed of male and female players competing on a 2.43 m net.

SCORING SYSTEM
A SINGLE game match is won by the team that wins a single game.
TWO-A-SIDE
A game is won by the team that scores 21 points with a two-point advantage, timed at 20mins.
TOURNAMENTS
A TRIPLE game match is won by the team that wins two games. In the case of a 1-1 tie in a best-two-out-of-three-games match, a deciding rally-point game to 15 points will be played, otherwise only 2 games need be played.
A rally-point game is won by the team that first scores 15 points with a lead of two points. A point is won each time the ball is put into play by a service. The team that wins that play gains a point no matter which team served the ball. If a score of 14-14 is reached, play continues until a two-point advantage is reached (16-14, 17-15) or until the first team reaches 17.

BEFORE THE MATCH
Before the warm-up in the first game and before each deciding game, the first referee conducts a coin toss in the presence of the team captains. The winner of the coin toss chooses either: (1) to select to serve or receive service of the first ball OR (2) the side of the court on which to start the game. The loser takes the remaining choice.
If a coin is unavailable, any brief game of chance mutually agreed upon by the first referee and team captains may be used in its place.