Aust beach volleyballers begin road to Rio

Australia's top male beach volleyballers kick off their 2016 Rio Olympics qualification campaign this weekend at the South Australian Open on Adelaide's Glenelg Beach.

While Australia are virtually guaranteed at least one women's team in Louise Bawden and Taliqua Clancy going to Brazil, the men's competition is still wide open.

Adelaide-based men's teams, Isaac Kapa and Chris McHugh, and Bo Soderberg and Cole Durant, will compete while Melbourne-based duo Damien Schumann and Josh Court are also in the mix.

Kapa and McHugh are Australia's top-ranked male team, but their Olympic preparations have been hampered by injuries.

Soderberg, a former Danish international who has just qualified to represent Australia, linked with Durant midway through 2015.

The pair have already posted several impressive international results.

Australia's two top-ranked women's teams won't be competing in Adelaide on Saturday and Sunday.

However, Bawden's 2012 Olympics partner and Adelaide local Becchara Palmer will attempt to keep her 2016 Rio dream alive when she teams up with fellow South Australian and 2014 Youth Olympian Brittany Kendall.