Volleyball Olympians are fuming

Olympic gold medalist Misty May-Treanor was fuming Saturday over USA Volleyball's choice of team leader for the Beijing Games and a resulting credential flap involving the person who carried out that role in 2004.

And she wasn't alone.

May-Treanor said she was "disgusted and ashamed" with the way USA Volleyball and Olympic officials have prepared and organized the U.S. beach volleyball team's trip to Beijing, where the Games begin Aug. 8.

Her sentiments were shared by the seven other Olympic participants, all of whom played at this weekend's AVP Long Beach Open.

Three-time Olympian Elaine Youngs, a bronze-medal winner in 2004 with her former partner Holly McPeak, said the relationship between the players and officials has deteriorated so much that she said the only way to remedy the situation would be for beach volleyball to break away from USA Volleyball and form its own federation.

"Nothing has ever changed with USA Volleyball," Youngs said. "Every single Olympics is so unorganized, the people they hire are incompetent, they have no experience."

At the root of their concerns is the handling by the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Volleyball of the credentials of Al Lau, team leader at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

As team leader, Lau's responsibilities included obtaining tickets for family members and providing travel, eating and housing accommodations while the athletes prepared for the Olympics. Team leaders also provide players with materials they need, such as tournament information and films.

This year, USA Volleyball Chief Executive Doug Beal designated Lau a team leader along with Ali Wood, USA Volleyball's director of international and high performance beach programs for the last two years. But because high-access (or A-O) credentials, which allow team leaders greater access to players and facilities than other credentials, were available in limited numbers, Lau did not receive one until Saturday. Wood had one from the start -- a situation that did not sit well with the players.

Players have been critical of Wood's ability and experience to handle all the demands required to help them prepare in an Olympic tournament. They say they prefer Lau, whom they have worked with on the AVP Tour as well as the last Olympics.

"The reason we want Al is very simple -- we just trust him," said Todd Rogers, who with partner Phil Dalhausser is ranked No. 1 in the world. "I trust him probably more than anyone else at USA Volleyball, at the AVP or the USOC."