Acosta, the president of world governing body FIVB, said Britain will be allowed to field unified men's and women's teams in indoor and beach volleyball specifically for the London Games.

 

Presently the teams from Britain and Northern Ireland compete separately as England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland under different governing bodies.

 

"We are working hard and putting in great effort to make sure a Great Britain team is a reality," Acosta said from the World Indoor Championships in Japan.

 

"There is a lot of enthusiasm from people everywhere to help Great Britain with technical support so that they can be competitive."

 

The FIVB agreed to a joint team at its World Congress in Japan last month following a motion from England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, covering only the London Olympics.

 

Acosta believes Britain would perform particularly well at women's beach volleyball. England's Debbie Spokes is an established beach volleyball player in the United States while Denise Johns and Lucy Boulton have played together in a handful of tournaments this year and are moving up the world rankings.