Derived from the indoor version of the game, beach volleyball made its first Olympic appearance as a demonstration event at Barcelona 1992 and was adopted as a fulltime fixture four years later.
Twenty-four teams will contest the men's and women's competitions.
USA and Brazil have dominated Olympic medals over the years, but the powerbase is spreading, with Russia (men) and Canada (women) reigning as world champions.
New Zealand has been represented only once - brothers Glenn and Reid Hamilton attended the inaugural Atlanta tournament - and will not be among the fields at Tokyo.
