After a long journey, The Argentine men’s volleyball team secured its participation in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. After the victory against Turkey in the weekend of the Volleyball Nations League which is held in Slovenia, and thanks to the victory of the locals against Cuba 3-2, Marcelo Méndez’s team secured a ticket to go to the capital of France to defend the bronze they achieved in Tokyo.
After failing to qualify for one of the pre-Olympic games that were played in the last quarter of last year, the national team had to play for its classification by ranking. Beyond the fact that it finished well positioned in 2023, it needed to add the necessary points during this season’s VNL and so it did.
So far in 2024, Those led by Méndez have a record of six wins and five losses. Beyond that irregularity, the scenario with which the last campaign ended was of great help in obtaining tickets to Paris. The Albicelestewhich is in 8th place in the world rankings, had to battle against other teams such as those of Italy, Slovenia (today with safe passage), added to Cuba, Serbia and the Netherlands.
The other teams that have guaranteed their place in the men’s tournament are: France (organizer), Germany, Brazil, United States, Japan, Poland and Canada. In addition to the four places by ranking (Italy and Slovenia, the remaining place to make up the 12 that will compete in the Olympic Games will be for an African team (the best positioned in the FIVB rankings) in which Egypt He has everything ready to win the continental quota.
In this way, the team they lead Luciano De Cecco and Facundo Conte He will seek to once again be the protagonist of a contest that will have the best. The historic point guard along with the figure of the last decades of Argentine volleyball will face what will surely be his last time in an Olympic event. But they will not be alone.
Players like Agustín Loser, Bruno Lima and libero Santiago Dananiwho were already part of the feat in Tokyo to achieve bronze after beating Brazil (3-2), and part of the new generation led by Luciano Palonsky either Nicolas ZerbaArgentina can dream of being a dangerous rival for anyone in Paris.
Next week the draw for the men’s volleyball team for the Olympic Games will be held. The format will be as follows: three zones of four teams each in which the first two in each group and the two best third parties will advance to the round. From then on, the best eight who will compete in the quarterfinals will be defined and from then on they will fight hand in hand for the medals.
With the ticket for the men’s volleyball team, There are already 128 safe places that Argentina has on the way to Paris 2024. In recent days, the presence of the golfers who will compete in the men’s tournament was confirmed: Emiliano Grillo and Alejandro Tosti. For its part, Sofia Fiora will be the representative of judo in the Olympic Games. She was born in Argentina, but at the age of 6 she moved with her family to live in Italy, she won the Ivory Coast Open and achieved the necessary points in the ranking to win the continental quota (-52 kilos ).
A similar situation occurred with the Cordoba Romina Biagioliwho after the closing of the world triathlon classification, achieved the Olympic ticket for the second time in her career after having competed in Tokyo 2020. The sister of the historic swimmer added 847.64 points in the Olympic ranking and finished in 121st position, Therefore, he obtained the place due to the quota allocated to the “New Flags”.
If we summarize, the light blue and white sport already has secure participation in: football, shooting sports, archery, fencing, taekwondo, rowing, speed boating, swimming, modern pentathlon, tennis, horse riding, field hockey, handball, sailing, cycling, rugby sevens, triathlon, tennis, volleyball, athletics, golf, judo and table tennis. And the harvest can still grow with more quotas in the coming days.
