The most serious competition for volleyball comes from the famously huggy sport of gymnastics.

WSJ: Group Hug: Which Olympic Sport Wins Gold for Touchiest?

Women's beach volleyball, perhaps the quintessential American sport at the Summer Olympics, is about to get even more American.

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The Americans won their third gold in men's beach volleyball since the event became an Olympic sport in 1996.

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Like the girl who spent 17 hours a week playing volleyball, even though she hated the sport, and it kept her from her dream of building computers.

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Celia, who says she feels more included at school, says she is excited to try volleyball this summer to see if it will be her sport.

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Unlike on the beach-volleyball court, where a pair of U.S. women has snapped up three of the five gold medals the young Olympic sport has ever awarded, the U.S. women's volleyball team has never won gold.

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Karch Kiraly, the assistant coach of the U.S. women's volleyball team and a three-time Olympic gold medalist in the sport, says that physical contact is a sign of closeness.

WSJ: Group Hug: Which Olympic Sport Wins Gold for Touchiest?

Kam Air sponsors teams in volleyball, football, cricket and buzkashi (literally, goat grabbing), a national sport akin to polo.

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