Olympics beckon

3rd December 2011

Poland’s volleyball team is on the brink of qualification for the London Olympics after eight rounds of the World League taking place in Japan. Superficially, their position looks great, as they top the table and a top three finish means qualification. Unfortunately, their remaining three opponents are Italy, Brazil and Serbia – the toughest teams in the competition.

“We’re facing a battle against the three best teams in the world. In Tokyo, we’re playing as if in a different league from what went before, and we’re going to give it everything to win Olympic qualification,” one of the team’s star players, Bartosz Kurek, told reporters.

Poland needs a single victory, or even three 3-2 losses, to secure a ticket to London next summer. “No calculations. We don’t want to count on scraping through. We’re not frightened of our opponents, let them fear us,” Kurek’s team-mate, Zbigniew Bartman, commented.