It also closed down the Bondi Surf Bathers Pavilion, which was built in the late 1920s and is historically significant to the town. NBC fell in love with Bondi Beach, and that was that. The town did receive some perks in return for being the volleyball venue. It also received money to hire more lifeguards, particularly because it is so difficult for the current lifeguards to view the entire beach with the stadium in the way. Something much more valuable.
Most surfers say construction of the stadium has made the waves bigger, though opinions vary.
It's not based on anything scientific, but they're convinced it's true. That's made the surf much bigger because the water hits the banks differently. Most surfers don't care much about the volleyball stadium, or the volleyball competition. They would surf at Bondi whether the Olympics are there or not. They're not even expecting the crowds to bother them, perhaps because they're not expecting any crowds.