AVP Pro Beach Volleyball (AVP), USA Volleyball (USAV) and USA international beach athlete representatives, along with the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), have joined forces to work cooperatively to design and produce a format for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for beach volleyball, it was announced today.

This partnership results from an earlier announcement by the Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) that countries would qualify for berths for the 2012 Games as opposed to individual athletes earning spots based on world ranking points (which had previously been the case for the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games). The only U.S. Olympic Team Trials for beach volleyball were held in Baltimore, Md., prior to the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

"The Olympic Trials will showcase USA Volleyball's most notable and accomplished beach athletes as they compete for the coveted opportunity to represent the United States in the 2012 Olympic Games," said David Schreff, Chair of USA Volleyball. "It is therefore fitting that USAV and AVP partner with the USOC and the eventual Host City for the Trials to develop and produce these memorable events."

"Continuing to build a strong partnership with USAV is in the best interests of both organizations," said Jason Hodell, CEO of the AVP. "We believe that this new process will give our top athletes the best opportunity to qualify and represent the United States at the 2012 Olympic Games in London."

While the details of how countries will earn berths have not yet been released by the FIVB, the organizations are seizing the opportunity to collaborate to ensure the design of an Olympic Trials format that will meet the expectations of U.S. athletes and provide the best possible platform for promoting and elevating the sport in the United States.

USAV and AVP have formed a three-person commission that will consist of a representative from each organization and a mutually agreed-upon athlete representative. The primary representative for USAV is Kerry Klostermann, Secretary General; for AVP is Justin Kamm, Executive Vice President; and the athlete representative is Kevin Wong. Additional organization and athlete representatives will participate on the Commission to provide input and expert advice. The commission is formed for the purpose of making decisions, subject to the approval of the USOC, regarding the anticipated opportunity to conduct Olympic Trials in terms of scheduling, format, athlete eligibility, site(s), sponsorship, and marketing efforts and media coordination.

"We applaud the efforts of USA Volleyball and the AVP in agreeing to work together to produce an Olympic Trials event for beach volleyball," said USOC Acting CEO Stephanie Streeter. "The addition of beach volleyball to the lineup of the 2012 U.S.Olympic Team Trials events increases the attraction and intrigue that comes with top U.S. athletes vying to represent Team USA in London."