Beach Volleyball - It even rains on iconic Copacabana
By Alexandra Ulmer
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Damp beach volleyball players and a bundled up crowd found out the hard way on Wednesday that grim drizzle and wind can even beat down on Rio's picture-perfect Copacabana beach.
Previous days' bikini-clad women and topless men were replaced by fans in anoraks and hoods, but still the mood was upbeat as Australian and Dutch female pairs faced off in one of Rio 2016's most iconic venues.
Brazil is in the middle of the Southern Hemisphere winter, and bad weather and winds on Wednesday also forced the Olympic rowing regatta to be called off.
Beach volleyball players, used to tricky weather conditions, largely shrugged off the light rain and temperatures in the low 20 degrees Celsius.
"It made the game a little different, especially the wind," said Dutch player Marleen Van Iersel, who wore special long black workout trousers and a shirt to stay warm.
"If it's windy you have to adjust your game, keep it a bit smaller because the wind can blow away the ball," added Van Iersel, who with partner Madelein Meppelink lost to Australia's Louise Bawden and Taliqua Clancy in a nail-biting match that ended 25-27 21-18 14-16.
The public was stoic too, with about 70 percent of seats filled and crowds clapping along to Latin pop hits.
"Today the weather is not that great, but the play is great," said spectator Ola Ulmo of Norway, who bought a plastic raincoat outside the volleyball arena.
(Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer, editing by Susanna Twidale)