VOLLEYBALL

Japan beats South Korea to win Olympic berth

Saturday 24th May, 04:15 AM JST

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

12 Comments

Sarge at 10:41 AM JST - 24th May

Being as how Japan dropped a set to the Koreans, and the Thais took the first set from the giant Polish women yesterday, and the pressure is off Japan, the Thais might just take 3 sets tonight.
northlondon at 02:08 PM JST - 24th May

Maybe I'm sounding a little naive about volleyball here, but how come these tournaments are played in Japan nearly every single time ? World Cups, Olympic Qualifiers, World Championships. I know the Japanese sponsors are important moneywise and all, but don't the other nations get a little angry about this ?
Sarge at 05:48 PM JST - 24th May

North - You must have missed last year's Asian Championships in Thailand.
Sarge at 09:44 PM JST - 24th May

I was close. Japan somehow got past Thailand, dropping two sets for the first time this tournament. I notice Japan got several "free" points, and simply got lucky on several other points. Thailand has put Japan on notice that they can be beaten.
opposite13 at 11:22 PM JST - 24th May

Maybe I'm sounding a little naive about volleyball here, but how come these tournaments are played in Japan nearly every single time ? World Cups, Olympic Qualifiers, World Championships. I know the Japanese sponsors are important moneywise and all, but don't the other nations get a little angry about this ?

northlondon, you've hit the nail on the head. Japan will be the only team (apart from the host nation, China) who did not have to travel AT ALL to qualify for the Games. And believe me, "a little angry" is an understatement for how other countries' volleyball federations feel about it. Of course, you'd never know any of that from the Japanese TV coverage... from the way those announcers talk, you'd think Japan actually had a chance to medal in Beijing!
opposite13 at 11:29 PM JST - 24th May

You must have missed last year's Asian Championships in Thailand

Sarge, hate to burst your bubble again, but the Asian Championships were NOT an Olypic qualifying tournament. The Japan Volleyball Association made the FIVB change the rules so that the Olympic qualifier from the Asian Zone were decided at THIS tournament (i.e. the one held in Japan). How pathetic is that?
Sarge at 12:02 AM JST - 25th May

opposite13 - Well golly, gee, you're right about the Asian Championships not being an Olympic qualifying tournament. So what? I was just pointing out to Northlondon that some tournaments are played outside Japan.
opposite13 at 11:35 AM JST - 25th May

The Asian Championships meant nothing, Sarge. No country except Japan even sent their A squad! All I'm saying is that if the FIVB weren't so hell-bent on TV money, and if the JVA wasn't so willing to pimp out its Japan Tobacco sponsorship (I mean, honestly... what other Olympic team has cigarette advertisements on its uniforms?!), your girls from Team Thailand would almost certainly have had a legitimate shot at qualifying for Beijing. Think about that the next time you're rambling on about how good they'd be if only they were taller....
paul1 at 11:48 AM JST - 25th May

What surprised me was that the national volleyball team are advertising cigarettes. They have Japan Tobacco's logo on their shirts. What could be more inappropriate than a super-athlete like Kurihara promoting smoking. The game was held in the Tokyo Metropolitan Gym. It is a place of supposed fitness yet also has the "JT" logo displayed all around the arena. Pathetic.
Sarge at 11:51 AM JST - 25th May

opposite13 - Gosh, why don't you write a letter to the Japan Volleyball Association and let off some steam? You think the Thai women would have had a better shot at qualifying for the Olympics if this tournament had been held outside Japan, do you? What country would have been the best for them?
opposite13 at 12:24 PM JST - 25th May

You think the Thai women would have had a better shot at qualifying for the Olympics if this tournament had been held outside Japan, do you? What country would have been the best for them?

Umm... how about Thailand? In other words, if last year's Asian Championships in Bangkok had actually counted for anything, and they had had the chance to play for a spot in Beijing in front of their home crowd, on prime time in their own country, with their own rabid TV announcers and boy bands and celebrity interviews and millions of dollars of sponsorship money... who knows what might have happened? Team Japan obviously thinks all those extra "home court" perks are worth it!

And as for writing a letter, let's just say that my current place of employment allows me to "let off some steam" against the JVA in a far more productive and direct way.
opposite13 at 06:51 PM JST - 25th May

By the way, Sarge, I'm assuming you do know that Thailand absolutely thumped Japan at that tournament (as did Kazakhstan's "B" squad, in straight sets!)