“This whole hugging thing came out of a way for us to catch our breath a little bit more.” U.S. beach volleyball Olympian Alix Klineman explains how team hugs in the sport give athletes more time to rest between plays.
The first match of the women's beach volleyball tournament won't be played, making it the first cancellation at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to COVID-19.
Czech player Markéta Sluková tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week, knocking her and Barbora Hermannova out of the Games.
The duo was set to play Japanese pair Megumi Murakami and Miki Ishii at 8 p.m. ET on Friday. Now, the host country's team will take a default win.
Sluková is just one of a few Czech athletes and personnel who have tested positive since arriving in Tokyo.
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The next match of the women's tournament will begin at 10 p.m. ET between Brazil's Agatha Bednarczuk and Eduarda Santos Lisboa and Argentina's Ana Gallay and Fernanda Pereyra. Team USA will first play on July 24, when Alix Klineman and April Ross debut at 8 p.m. ET.
