get back up there, I_MAN & Beef! <br><br>Guaruja,
Brazil (January 21, 2000) - The USA tandem of Bill
Boullianne (Los Angeles, Calif.)/Ian Clark (Boulder, Colo.)
won 1 of 3 matches Thursday to place 17th in the
Brazilian Open to share $2,000. <br><br>Despite finishing
17th, Boullianne/Clark improved their Olympic
Qualification Ranking point total (868 to 902). <br><br>The
Olympic Qualifications Rankings will determine both the
men & women's teams for next September's "Battles on
Bondi Beach." To qualify for a berth in the 2000 Sydney
Olympic Games, set for September 16-26 on Bondi Beach, a
player must play w/the same partner & post a finish in a
minimum of 8 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour events
between January 1, 1999 through August 15,
2000.<br><br>Following the Brazilian Open, the men's FIVB Beach
Volleyball World Tour breaks<br>for 3 months prior to the
April's Mexican Open in Acapulco (April 26-30). The
women's FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour opens February
1-6 in Vitoria, Brazil. A total of 12 men's & 10
women's events will be held before the August 15th
deadline to determined the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games
participants.<br><br>Due to the country quota rule, each nation can only
qualify 2 teams for Sydney (except host Australia that
can have up to three representatives in each
competition). Complete information about the Argentinean Open &
about the Olympic qualification provisional ranking are
available on the FIVB's official Internet website
(<a href=http://www.fivb.org/beach target=new>http://www.fivb.org/beach</a>)