Dream come true

There is already a lot of dredging going on in the city of love

The game will be played directly under the Eiffel Tower.

(Bild: ÖOC)

A big dream is becoming reality for beach volleyball player Hörl.He and his partner Alexander Horst arrived in Paris on Tuesday.There is no time for a city tour in the city of love, as they are training twice a day. Getting through the group will be difficult.

Going to the Olympic Games is the dream of every athlete. With Sylvia Steiner (shooting) and beach volleyball player Julian Hörl, the Salzburg delegation at the 33rd summer edition of the modern era in Paris is manageable. For the 32-year-old from Saalfelden, that big dream will become reality this weekend.

"As I started late, it was a small dream at first, but it grew bigger and bigger and is now a reality," beams the Pinzgau native. He and his partner Alex Horst have been in the fashion metropolis since Tuesday. "But so far I've only seen the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower."

There is no time for sightseeing, there is already a lot of digging going on in the city of love. "We're not here on vacation, we train twice a day and spend the rest of the time in the Olympic Village," explains the block player, who is particularly enthusiastic about the location of the Beach Arena (12,860 seats) on the Champ de Mars: "It's simply sensational! You can look directly at the Eiffel Tower when you serve."

His Viennese colleague is also amazed: "There's no better place in Europe to put a beach stadium." For the 41-year-old, it will be the fourth matches under the five rings. The first in front of his children. Young dad Hörl's family will also be there. "Of course, that's an advantage when the games take place in Europe. Even if it wasn't that easy to get tickets."

"Like any other tournament"
In sporting terms, it won't be an easy task. With the teams from Brazil and the Czech Republic, the Beach Boys have former world champions in their group, as well as strong Canadians. "Like any other tournament, we want to get out of the group and then we'll see." The first game against the Brazilians is scheduled for Sunday (20). A good time for Hörl: "If it had been on Saturday, we wouldn't have been able to go to the opening ceremony."