How Teams Qualify for the Olympic Volleyball Games
Anyone keeping abreast with volleyball news knows that qualifying for the Olympic volleyball games is a challenging process. It involves multiple pathways that determine who among the best teams from around the world will make it to the grand stage. Here’s how teams secure their spot at the Olympics:
Volleyball World Ranking: Teams accumulate ranking points based on their performance in international competitions, such as the Volleyball Nations League, leading up to the Olympics. The highest-ranked teams that have not yet qualified through other pathways may earn a spot at the Olympics based on their ranking.
FIVB Qualification Tournaments: Teams that don’t qualify through the World Rankings or their continental tournaments have an opportunity to earn a spot through the FIVB Olympic Qualification Tournaments. These global tournaments give chances for teams to secure their place at the Olympics.
Universality Selection: The International Olympic Committee (IOC) aims to promote inclusivity and global representation at the Olympic Games. Through the universality selection, the IOC reserves a limited number of spots for teams from nations that have not yet qualified through the standard qualification pathways to ensure that all regions of the world are represented in the Olympic volleyball tournament.
Host Nation: The host nation of the Olympics automatically qualifies for the volleyball tournament.