Stars stumble in slippery sand

JAKARTA (JP): To most people sand is just sand. But to beach volleyballers there is much more to the yellow stuff than meets the eye.

And yesterday many of the competitors grumbled that the sand being used in the Games, which comes from Bangka island in Riau province, was not up to scratch.

Malaysia's Lim Poh Hong said: "The sand is very dry and we need more energy to play. In Malaysia it is wetter, more compact and easier to play on."

"It's very slippy and difficult to move across quickly," Filippine competitor Rodel Canino said, adding that it would be better to play on a beach.

"After all it is called beach volleyball," he mused. (09)