© BELGIUM
The Belgian volleyball women were unable to beat Argentina (FIVB 19) on the third day of the Olympic qualifying tournament (OKT) in the Japanese capital Tokyo on Tuesday. The Yellow Tigers (FIVB 13) lost 0-3. The set scores were 21-25, 20-25 and 18-25).
Kris Vansnick’s team opened on Saturday with a 3-0 win against Bulgaria (25-19, 26-24 and 25-21). A 1-3 defeat against Puerto Rico followed on Sunday (25-20, 23-25, 19-25 and 19-25). The Tigers face Peru on Wednesday. This will be followed by duels with Japan, Brazil and world number 1 Turkey, the newly crowned European champion.
The top two of the group qualify for next year’s Games in Paris. This will be a very difficult task for the Tigers, especially because star player Britt Herbots is missing due to an abdominal muscle injury. For the same reason, she had to forfeit the lost eighth final at the last European Championship in her own country against Turkey, which would subsequently win gold.
Kris Vansnick succeeded Gert Vande Broek as national coach of the Yellow Tigers in July. — © BELGIUM
An eye on the Games in Paris
Olympic qualifying tournaments will also be played in Ningbo, China and Lodz, Poland, with two tickets for Paris at stake each time. The six qualifying countries join France, the host country of the Games.
The five remaining places will be awarded on the basis of the world rankings in June 2024. Belgium therefore still has a chance to qualify in this way if it does not work out in Japan. To achieve this, the Yellow Tigers in Tokyo must collect sufficient ranking points.