Bjørn Maaseide (born 7 March 1968) is a Norwegian former

beach volleyball Beach volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of two to four players each on a sand court divided by a net. Similar to indoor volleyball, the objective of the game is to send the ball over the net and to ground it on the opponent's side o ...

player. He represented Norway in three consecutive Summer Olympics:

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, and

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

. Alongside

Jan Kvalheim Jan Kvalheim (born 5 February 1963, Skien) is a former beach volleyball player from Norway, who represented his native country in two consecutive Summer Olympics: 1996 and 2000. Alongside Bjørn Maaseide he won several medals at the European Cha ...

, he won several medals at the

European Championships A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...

in the 1990s. He is the brother of professional beach volleyball player

Kathrine Maaseide Kathrine Maaseide (born 18 December 1976, in Stavanger) is a female former professional beach volleyball player from Norway who represented her native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Partnering with Susanne Glesnes, she cl ...

. Other playing partners are

Iver Horrem Iver Andreas Horrem (born 1 January 1977 in Aukra Municipality) is a Norwegian professional beach volleyball player from Norway, best known as Bjørn Maaseide's teammate. He also plays volleyball for Kristiansund VBK. Playing career Career st ...

and

Vegard Høidalen Vegard Høidalen (born 10 May 1971 in Skien) is a former professional beach volleyball player from Norway who twice represented his native country at the Summer Olympics: 2000 and 2004. Partnering with Jørre Kjemperud, he won the bronze medal i ...

. In 2007, Maaseide returned to the sand with Horrem. At the World Championships in Gstaad, they were knocked out in the first main round for the third time in a row, this time against the Brazilians

Franco Franco may refer to: Name * Franco (name) * Francisco Franco (1892–1975), Spanish general and dictator of Spain from 1939 to 1975 * Franco Luambo (1938–1989), Congolese musician, the "Grand Maître" * Franco of Cologne (mid to late 13th cent ...

– Cunha. After the Norwegian duo did not qualify for the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

, Maaseide turned his attention to the next World Championships. His commitment helped bring the

2009 Beach Volleyball World Championships The 2009 SWATCH FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships is a beach volleyball event, that was held from June 26 to July 5, 2009 in Stavanger, Norway.Stavanger Stavanger, officially the Stavanger Municipality, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the third largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the ...

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* * * * 1968 births Living people Norwegian beach volleyball players Men's beach volleyball players Beach volleyball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics Beach volleyball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics Beach volleyball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Olympic beach volleyball players for Norway Sportspeople from Stavanger Competitors at the 1994 Goodwill Games Goodwill Games medalists in beach volleyball {{Norway-volleyball-bio-stub