not content to stick to the conventions of soccer, the sport has even spilled out onto the city's plentiful beaches. now recognized as an international sport, beach soccer started on the beaches of rio, and has now become a 'carioca way of life'. their love of the sport is reflected in their performances at the fifa beach soccer world cup, where brazil have won 13 of the 17 tournaments.

in an even more inventive variation of soccer, cariocas blended it with one of their other favorite beach sports, to make foot-volley (futevolley). founded in 1965, in copacabana's bolivar street, the sport is now played all over the city - another beach sport, whose roots lie in copacabana, is frescobol, or beach tennis. a simple racquet and ball game to be enjoyed in the sand, frescobol is rife on all of the city's beaches.