Intercontinental Rounds for Beijing 2008

Do ataku spaniards!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Spain-Cuba 1-3
How's that possible! 21 kill blocks from the Cubans and 26 mistakes against only 13 from Spain. That's not impossible! What's going with Spain!

Cuba - Germany 2-3 (26-24 25-21 21-25 18-25 13-15)
Spain - Chinese Taipei 3-1 (25-19 25-15 23-25 25-20)

Wow! Cuba almost went to Beijing 2008! I still can't believe what is going on there!

Today Cubans are facing Chinese Taipei and with good result they will have big chance to qualify! But this will happen if Germany won't beat Spain! But I'm sure that Spain are furious.
Here's the table

1 GER Germany 4 2 185 153 1.209 6 2 3.000
2 ESP Spain 3 1 1 178 172 1.035 4 4 1.000
3 CUB Cuba 3 1 1 196 190 1.032 5 4 1.250
4 TPE Taipei 2 2 129 173 0.746 1 6 0.167

Taipei - Cuba 0-3 (14-25 18-25 16-25)

So here's the situation in group in Dusseldorf
1 CUB Cuba 3 2 1 271 238 1.138 5 4 1.250
2 GER Germany 4 2 185 153 1.209 6 2 3.000
3 ESP Spain 3 1 1 178 172 1.035 4 4 1.000
4 TPE Taipei 2 2 129 173 0.746 1 6 0.167

If Germany beat Spain today they are 100% in Beijing 2008! Otherwise Spain must beat with 25 difference for qualifying! Big task for Spain. If Germany loose with less than 25 pts difference Cuba is in the final!

Beijing berth ready to be contested in Portugal as FIVB confirms Olympic Games’ Drawing of Lots for June 11 in host city

Portugal will hope captain Joao Jose plays a major part at the Men's World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Espinho

Lausanne, May 27, 2008 – One of the final three places available in the Men’s Olympic Volleyball Tournament will be decided this weekend in Portugal.

Indonesia, Poland and Puerto Rico will join their Portuguese hosts in the round-robin tournament from May 30 to June 1 at the Nave Municipal de Espinho, with the winner qualifying for the 2008 Beijing Games.

The FIVB, meanwhile, can confirm that the Drawing of Lots for the Men’s and Women’s Olympic Volleyball Tournaments is scheduled to take place in Beijing on June 11 from 2-4 p.m. local time in the Press Conference Room of the Capital Indoor Stadium, the main Volleyball venue during the Summer Games.

Under the supervision of FIVB officials at the public session, the 12 National Teams in each tournament will be divided equally into Pools A and B.

The final two places available at the Beijing Games will be decided at the Men’s World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Tokyo, Japan, from May 31 to June 8, with the winner of the tournament plus the best Asian team (even if the winner is Asian) qualifying. Japan hosts Algeria, Argentina, Italy, Australia, Korea, Iran and Thailand, in the event that doubles up as the Asian Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

The Espinho event is set to be as close as the other recent Olympic qualifiers. World No. 5 Poland met Puerto Rico in FIVB competition in the 2006 World Championship in Japan, beating them 3-1 in Pool A Preliminary Round action.

The Polish made it to the Final of the 2006 World Championship before losing to Brazil and finished fourth in the 2007 FIVB World League, while Puerto Rico, ranked No. 8 in the world, impressed when claiming sixth place at the 2007 FIVB World Cup.

Indonesia are a young, up-and-coming team, while the promising Portuguese have the advantage of playing at home.

Espinho is situated on Portugal's north-western coast in the Aveiro province about 18 km south of the city of Porto. It is a popular holiday town renowned for its long stretch of sun-kissed beaches and excellent selection of seafood restaurants.

Germany booked their first appearance in the Olympic Games since Munich 1972 by winning last weekend’s Men’s World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Düsseldorf.

Brazil, Russia, Bulgaria, Egypt, Serbia, USA and Venezuela had already secured their tickets for the August 10-24 Men’s Olympic Volleyball Tournament through the FIVB 2007 World Cup or Continental Qualification Tournaments, while China have qualified as the host country.

The 12 teams for the Women’s Olympic Volleyball Tournament through August 9-23 have been decided after Poland, Serbia, Japan and Kazakhstan advanced from last week’s World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Tokyo to join hosts China, Italy, Brazil, USA, Algeria, Russia, Cuba and Venezuela.

Match schedule for Espinho, Portugal

* All times are local

Friday, May 30
Indonesia vs. Portugal (7 p.m.)
Poland vs. Puerto Rico (9 p.m.)

Saturday, May 31
Indonesia vs. Poland (3 p.m.)
Portugal vs. Puerto Rico (5 p.m.)

Sunday, June 1
Puerto Rico vs. Indonesia (3 p.m.)
Portugal vs. Poland (5 p.m.)

All eyes turn towards Tokyo for the FIVB Men’s World Olympic qualifier

Italian captain Alberto Cisolla will face the Japanese team again

Tokyo, Japan, May 28, 2008 - All eyes will be focused on Tokyo, the city where Olympic Volleyball started in 1964, when the last of four World Olympic Qualification tournaments begins in the Japanese capital on Saturday, continuing until June 8. The FIVB Men’s Olympic World Qualification Tournament promises to be an exciting climax to the qualification process for the Beijing Games, with eight teams competing in the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium for the two places available at the Summer Games in August.

Australia, Korea, Iran and Thailand, as the four best-ranked teams at the Asian Continental Championship, will compete against hosts Japan, Italy, Argentina and Algeria. The winner will be heading to Beijing. The round-robin tournament doubles up also as the Asian Men's Olympic Qualification Tournament, so the best Asian team (even if the winner is Asian) will also book a berth in the Volleyball Tournament of the Olympic Games.

Brazil, Russia, Bulgaria, Egypt, Serbia, USA and Venezuela have already booked their tickets to Beijing through the FIVB 2007 World Cup or Continental Qualification Tournaments, and Germany secured their first appearance in the Olympic Games since Munich 1972 by winning last weekend’s Men’s World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Düsseldorf. China have qualified as the host country.

All eight teams have the same chance to get one of the two Olympic tickets available. However, according to their Volleyball history, Italy, Argentina and Japan are considered the favorites in the tournament.

Three-time World Champions Italy also won eight FIVB World League gold medals and have attended every Olympic Games from 1976 onwards, winning two silver medals and one bronze. The Italians are No. 10 in the FIVB World Ranking and did not participate in the last FIVB World Cup 2007.

Argentina is placed sixth in the FIVB World Ranking and ended seventh in the last World Cup, where they beat Korea 3-0, Australia 3-1, but were defeated by Japan in straight sets. In the South American Men’s Olympic Qualification Tournament in January 2008, world No. 20 Venezuela surprised everybody by overpowering the Argentines to qualify to Beijing.

Ranked No. 12 in the world and ninth in the FIVB World Cup 2007, hosts Japan have also a great chance to grab an Olympic berth considering their outstanding performances in important world competitions. In the last World Cup, besides downing Argentina 3-0, the Japanese team defeated Korea 3-0, but were beaten by Australia in straight sets. The “Aussies," ranked No. 11 in the world are also on the run to qualify as the best Asian team. Korea, Iran, Thailand and Algeria must also be considered serious opponents. They are determined to put up a strong challenge to the above-mentioned teams so as to get an Olympic ticket.

The Olympic World Qualification Tournaments are the final chapter of a long and exciting process. The opening chapter began with the FIVB 2007 World Cup, before the second stop at the Continental Qualification Tournaments. Now eight men's teams are ready to rise to the occasion in the Tokyo competition and can dare to dream to be the ones to add their name to the prestigious roll of Beijing Olympic winners. The Men’s Olympic Volleyball Tournament in Portugal this weekend will also decide one of the last three berths.

Match schedule for Tokyo (All times are local)

Saturday, May 31
Australia vs. Thailand (11:05)
Korea vs. Argentina (13:05)
Algeria vs. Iran (15:05)
Italy vs. Japan (18:00)

Sunday, June 1
Thailand vs. Algeria (11:05)
Argentina vs. Australia (13:05)
Italy vs. Korea (15:05)
Japan vs. Iran (18:00)

Monday, June 2 – Rest Day

Tuesday, June 3
Algeria vs. Argentina (11:35)
Australia vs. Italy (13:35)
Iran vs. Thailand (15:35)
Korea vs. Japan (18:30)

Wednesday, June 4
Argentina vs. Iran (11:35)
Korea vs. Australia (13:35)
Italy vs. Algeria (15:35)
Japan vs. Thailand (18:30)

Thursday, June 5 – Rest Day

Friday, June 6
Thailand vs. Argentina (11:35)
Iran vs. Italy (13:35)
Algeria vs. Korea (15:35)
Australia vs. Japan (18:30)

Saturday, June 7
Korea vs. Iran (11:05)
Australia vs. Algeria (13:05)
Italy vs. Thailand (15:05)
Japan vs. Argentina (18:00)

Sunday, June 8
Thailand vs. Korea (11:05)
Iran vs. Australia (13:05)
Argentina vs. Italy (15:05)
Algeria vs. Japan (18:00)

Tension mounts as teams arrive in Tokyo ahead of FIVB world Olympic qualifier

Australia has great expectations for the opening match against Thailand

Tokyo, Japan, May 29, 2008 - The race for the Beijing Games heated up Thursday with the arrival of the eight teams competing in the FIVB Men's World Olympic Qualification Tournament that starts Saturday at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. Argentina, Italy, Algeria, Thailand, Australia, Iran, Korea and hosts Japan are the squads who will compete for the final two Olympic spots in Beijing. The dazzling Japanese capital will host the exciting event from May 31 to June 8. The winning team plus the best Asian team (even if the winner is Asian) will get the Olympic tickets after the seven matches.

The second of three Men's Olympic qualifiers takes place in Espinho, Portugal, from May 30 to June 1, with one team qualifying for Beijing from Portugal, Poland, Puerto Rico and Indonesia. Germany qualified from the first Men's Olympic qualifier last weekend.

The Tokyo tournament will feature four matches each day. On the first day, Australia will open the event facing Thailand at 11:05 local time. The “Aussies” concluded their preparation tour with a battling victory over Olympic hosts China in Yongkang in Southeast China on Tuesday.

After losing two matches against the hosts 3-0 and 3-1, the Australians improved enough during the series to clinch victory in the final match in five sets.

Before their tour of China, the Australian team visited Argentina, playing five matches (the locals won four), Greece and Slovakia during a one-month trip.

They are buoyed by the welcome return of 2004 Olympian Zane Christensen (207 cm) after four years out of the sport through injury.

Thailand, a newly formed team including mostly young and inexperienced players, have also been training intensively for this event.

Following the opening match, Korea will play Argentina (13:05), Algeria faces Iran (15:05) and Japan receives Italy (18:00).

The Argentines arrived in Tokyo without star captain Marcos Milinkovic, who announced he would skip the event because of family commitments.

Wing spiker Guillermo Garcia also is not part of the group after failing to recover from an injury to his right shoulder.

The young South American team with their new captain Gustavo Porporatto recently played three friendly matches against USA in California, losing all of them but putting up a fight in the last one, which went to five sets.

In the middle of May, Argentina received a young Brazilian team and they tied the series 1-1.

Korea has participated in the Olympic Games eight times since 1964 and their best ranking was fifth place at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. This year, young players like Sung-Min Moon, who acquired valuable experience by taking part in international competitions in 2006 and 2007, will become an integral part of the team, while veteran players returning from injury will give the team balance.

Iran wants to be the great surprise of the tournament. They played three friendly matches in the Iranian capital against Serbia, already qualified for the Olympic Games in Beijing, losing them all. Iran also had two training camps in Moscow and Tehran.

Algeria have acclimatized in Dubai before heading to Japan. New Head Coach Samir Zitouni, who has big experience on the international stage as a player and trainer, will be leading the Algerians in this important tournament.

Italy is already training in Tokyo with Head Coach Andrea Anastasi. The “azzurri” team led by captain Alberto Cisolla is one of the favourites of this tournament. Italians have attended every Olympic Games from 1976 onwards, winning two silver medals and one bronze.

Hosts Japan have great expectations for this qualifier. Head Coach Tatsuya Ueta's squad gathered in mid-April and launched the first training camp aimed at the Tokyo WOQT and the 2008 FIVB World League. Japan will certainly have strong support from the home crowd.

Meanwhile, the FIVB Control Committee (CC) and event’s National Operation Committee (NOC) are making inspections at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium competition hall, teams’ hotel, training halls and other facilities. The CC President and FIVB First Vice-President, Mr. Jizhong Wei, expressed his satisfaction with the tournament preparation. The General Technical Meeting will take place on Friday evening at 18:00 at the Tokyo Prince Hotel where the teams are staying.

Press Conference

After the General Technical Meeting on Friday at the Tokyo Prince Hotel, there will be a press conference with all eight coaches of the participating teams: Tatsuya Ueta (Japan), Samir Zitouni (Algeria), Jon Uriarte (Argentina), Andrea Anastasi (Italy), Russell Borgeaud (Australia), Zoran Gajic (Iran), Jung-Tak Yoo (Korea) and Monchai Supajirakul (Thailand).

Match schedule for Tokyo (All times are local)

Saturday, May 31
Australia vs. Thailand (11:05)
Korea vs. Argentina (13:05)
Algeria vs. Iran (15:05)
Italy vs. Japan (18:00)

Sunday, June 1
Thailand vs. Algeria (11:05)
Argentina vs. Australia (13:05)
Italy vs. Korea (15:05)
Japan vs. Iran (18:00)

Monday, June 2 – Rest Day

Tuesday, June 3
Algeria vs. Argentina (11:35)
Australia vs. Italy (13:35)
Iran vs. Thailand (15:35)
Korea vs. Japan (18:30)

Wednesday, June 4
Argentina vs. Iran (11:35)
Korea vs. Australia (13:35)
Italy vs. Algeria (15:35)
Japan vs. Thailand (18:30)

Thursday, June 5 – Rest Day

Friday, June 6
Thailand vs. Argentina (11:35)
Iran vs. Italy (13:35)
Algeria vs. Korea (15:35)
Australia vs. Japan (18:30)

Saturday, June 7
Korea vs. Iran (11:05)
Australia vs. Algeria (13:05)
Italy vs. Thailand (15:05)
Japan vs. Argentina (18:00)

Sunday, June 8
Thailand vs. Korea (11:05)
Iran vs. Australia (13:05)
Argentina vs. Italy (15:05)
Algeria vs. Japan (18:00)

Australia have lost with Argentiana who is without Garcia and Milinkovic. Argentina - for me no chance for qualifying - they will loose against Japan and Italy, probably from Australia.

Head Coaches share cautious optimism ahead of Olympic qualifier in Espinho

Head Coaches Jorge Schmidt, Hu Xinyo, Carlos Cardona and Raul Lozano shake hands Thursday ahead of the FIVB Olympic qualifer in Espinho, Portugal

Espinho, Portugal, May 30, 2008 - The four Head Coaches leading the teams at the Men’s World Olympic Qualification Tournament here in Espinho all predictably share the same ambition – to claim one of the last remaining tickets for the Beijing Games.

The competition as a result will be fiercely contested, although there emerged a sense of solidarity among the coaches in the press conference Thursday following the technical meeting, with all four united in their joy at taking part in the world-class tournament and in their hopes that the best team prevails.

Portugal Head Coach Jorge Schmidt was understandably reserved when discussing his charges’ chances, choosing instead to praise rivals Puerto Rico, Poland and Indonesia.

“We will do our best but the qualification will not be easy against these world-class teams,” said Schmidt. “I’m happy also to see those strong teams here in Portugal but I think it will not be easy for any team to get the Olympic ticket.

“We prepared well for this tournament but if we qualified there will be another program,” said Schmidt.

The Espinho event will decide one of the three remaining places at the August 10-24 Beijing Games Volleyball Tournament. The other two will be worked out at the Olympic qualifier in Tokyo from May 31 to June 8.

Indonesia Head Coach Hu Xinyo said this is the first time for his team to play in an Olympic qualification tournament.

“It is also the first time for my team to play in Europe and there is a different environment here than playing in Asia,” said Xinyo. “I hope we play well here but I think, of course, I don’t expect very high standard with the narrow preparation schedule we had.

“We’ll do our best to make this dream as a reality. The local league lasted three months and didn’t allow the national team to gather and there was no possibility of even playing friendly matches,” said Xinyo.

Poland Head Coach Raul Lozano is out to make amends for what happened in the European Olympic qualifiers in January, when they surprisingly lost twice.

“We want to play better than we did in the European qualifications, but we can’t expect an easy competition here in Portugal, especially against their team with the expected support of their spectators,” said Lozano.

Puerto Rico Head Coach Carlos Cardona is excited to be so near to the biggest sports event in the world.

“We didn’t come near an Olympic ticket like this time and I think it is the suitable time for us to get this historic qualification,” said Cardona.

“The only team we don’t know about is Indonesia, while we have played before against Poland and Portugal.” Cardona said.

Indonesia-Portugal 0-3 (23-25 17-25 21-25)
Not so easy win. Isa the results in the 1st set.