In a surprising twist, Canada has secured a spot in the Paris 2024 Olympics at the FIVB Road to Paris 2024 Olympic Qualifiers. Initially, Belgium was in prime position to accompany pool winners Poland to the Olympics, but their unexpected five-set defeat to Bulgaria opened the door for Canada. The Canadians seized this chance, comfortably defeating Mexico in a 3-0 shutout. This will be Canada’s sixth Olympic appearance, having previously secured a best finish of fourth place in 1984.
Bulgaria’s captain Tsvetan Sokolov stood out in their match against Belgium, scoring a whopping 27 points. On the Canadian side, Eric Loeppky and Stephen Maar led their team to victory against Mexico with 16 and 12 points, respectively.
In other results, Argentina dominated the Netherlands 3-0, moving them up the table. Poland managed to retain their unbeaten streak, fending off hosts China in a tight five-set match.
The drama-filled day in Xi’an has set the stage for an exciting Olympic showdown in Paris next year.
