From its birth on the beaches of California and Brazil in the 1920s, to its admittance to the Olympic stage in 1996, beach volleyball has grown into a legitimate sport that has attracted not only a loyal following of fans but also corporate sponsorship.

Caroline Sharp, beach volleyball director at Volleyball Canada, says there are a couple of reasons for corporate interest in the sport.

One is the audience.

‘Our demographics for indoor and beach volleyball are very similar,’ says Sharp. ‘It’s the 18- to 32-year-old crowd that are watching the game as well as playing.’

The second reason is the popularity of the sport.

At last summer’s Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga. ­ where John Child and Mark Heese won the men’s team bronze medal for Canada ­ beach volleyball proved to be one of the most popular events, selling out well in advance of the Games.

It also proved popular with tv viewers, so cbc and tsn are covering this year’s Labatt Blue Pro Beach Tour.

cbc is devoting seven hours to beach volleyball with coverage of the tour opener at Toronto’s Ashbridges Bay June 19 through 22 and the National Championship at Sauble Beach Aug. 21 through 24.

tsn will cover the other stops on the national tour, which include four more in Ontario, one in Vancouver and one in Montreal.

Attendance at all events is free.

Labatt Breweries of Canada was an early sponsor of beach volleyball in this country, being the first sponsor of the sport in Ontario in the late ’80s.

After a break, Labatt Blue is back as sponsor of this year’s national tour which not only features the best Canadian men’s and women’s teams but also the best international players.

Labatt is supporting the Pro Tour with radio advertising as well as posters and other point-of-sale materials.

Ford Motor Company of Canada and Investors Group are also sponsoring the Pro Tour.

Ford is the title sponsor of the Montreal stop on the tour July 25 to 27 because of its special interest in the region. It is using the Pro Tour events to profile its new Ford Escort ZX2. The vehicle will be offered as the grand prize in an in-case cross promotion with Labatt around the time of the championships in August.

Investors Group, meanwhile, sponsors all of Volleyball Canada’s activities.

Coinciding with the National Championships is the Investors Group Junior National Championships and the Double A National Championships for players one level below professional.