The Accidental Spectator

A slight miscalculation in time resulted in your correspondent finding himself watching volleyball rather than gymnastics today afternoon.

Sprinting to the media centre's miniature bus terminus, a colleague and I were aware that we had just moments to catch or lose the bus to the shooting range, where Anjali Bhagwat was in action.

We missed our bus, and I boarded the one that was pulling out of the next lane, assured by the smiling staff that it was going to the "gymnasium". After a long, winding journey through the city, it did reach the gymnasium, but it was the Capital Gymnasium, venue for volleyball.

This accident proved happy, for the event's two top teams, Russia and Brazil, had just begun a high-quality, hard battle; there was little to choose between the two.

The crowd was mostly Chinese, but support for Brazil was intense; Beijing has introduced the concept of "volunteer cheerleaders" in these Games. These people are supposed to be models of correct conduct inside a sporting venue. There had been fears that the Chinese people, in their greatest ever sporting-- and material -- opportunity to earn boasting rights, may not be on their best behaviour in the stadia, that they be moved to a display of boorish chauvinism.

In the Capital Gymnasium, their behaviour is impeccable; they cheer the smashes and the diving rescues with frenzy, but without losing dignity. They shriek "Braaa-ziiii-liaaaa" to the rhythmic beat they produce by clapping plastic batons. Support for Russia is non-existent.

But the Russians have a three-inch average height advantage and are stronger with their spiking. The Brazilians, most of whom play in Italy, are swifter on the court, more agile in recovery and better at blocking. The contest is close and full of thrills.

During time-outs, such songs as "Be my bad boy, you can be my bad boy" and its like fill the gymnasium. There are dancing girls, though only on the giant screen, and that too computer-animated silhouettes. After each point-earning spike, the scoreboard encourages the teams by flashing encourage terms like "Wonderful", "Block", "Great" "Wow" and "Fantastic"

Brazil win the first game 25-22 in 25 minutes. The two match each other point for point and the two coaches, walking the sidelines, work themselves into a state of high passion. One team would lose and, judging from the angered facial contortions of the two coaches, it was clear that the losers would have hell to pay.

Russian coach Vladimir Alenko has a bear-like build and a barrel chest; Brazil's coach, Bernardo Rezende, is a venerated veteran in charge of the team since 2001. His greatest hour came when Brazil won the 2004 Olympics gold medal at Athens.

The two have the best spikers and liberos of the world. Rezende's team has the support of the crowd, including green-wigged Brazilians who successfully work up Mexican waves in the stands.

That, though, is not enough; Rezende's team is confronted with a superior force today. In the first game, the Brazilians pull away after a tit-for-tat trading of points. The second and third games are closer, Russia winning them by the thinnest possible, two-point margin. The fourth is a cakewalk for Russia as they first edge ahead after 11-11 and then pin the fighting Brazilians down.

Some observations: each time someone screws up -- with a long serve or a botched smash-- the coach doesn't allow him to brood over it on court, he calls the player out and eggs him on. Each time a team takes more than three or four points in a row, the opposing coach calls for a time-out, to break the momentum.

Teams go from abject defence to strong attack in a couple of touches. The quality of blocking and saving spikes is spectacular. They dive full-length and slide their hands on the court, trying to bounce the ball off the back of the hands. They dive metres outside the court to keep the ball in play.

Mikhaylov Maxim, six-feet-eight, is Russia's hero with 19 points from 59 attempts.

Russia's third win in a row leave them atop the Pool B table with six points; Brazil have a fight in hand to make the semis.