Gimnasio Olimpico Juan de la Barrera in Mexico City
Mexico City, Mexico, June 1, 2016- Four teams will gather in Mexico City to play for the last berth at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games as the Men’s World Olympic Qualification Tournament is set to start from June 3-5 at Gimnasio Olimpico Juan de la Barrera.
The round robin tournament features hosts Mexico, Algeria, Chile and Tunisia, all determined to finish on top and making the FIVB final cut for the Olympic Games.
The Gimnasio Olimpico Juan de la Barrera, built in 1968 for the Olympic Games, will host the three day competition, beginning with opening match on Friday June 3 between Chile and Tunisia, followed by Mexico facing Algeria.
Tunisia is the team with more Olympic background, with a total of six appearances. Mexico and Algeria have competed in one each, as hosts in the 1968 edition and in Barcelona 1992 respectively. Chile stands lonesome as they have never appeared in the Olympic Games.
Tunisia, ranked 16th in the world and second placed from the African Olympic Qualification Tournament, is aiming for their seventh Olympic Games. They have appeared in the 1972, 1984, 1988, 1996, 2004 and 2012 editions of the Olympics. In London 2012 they lost all five matches and won just one set and with a best finish of ninth at Los Angeles 1984.
Mexico (24) last competed in the Olympics in 1968, right here at Gimnasio Olimpico Juan de la Barrera, and is hoping for their breakthrough performance to get them back to the Olympic stage. The hosts secured a spot in this weekend’s contest, by finishing third in the NORCECA Olympic qualifier, which was won by Cuba.
The Algerian team finished third in the African Olympic Qualification Tournament, behind winners Egypt and Tunisia. Algeria (31) who has remained among the top four contenders of the African Championship appeared in the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games finishing in 12th place.
Chile (34) finished third in the continental qualification tournament, defeating Colombia in a thrilling tie-breaker earning them the chance to compete for the last Olympic berth. Chile aspires to qualify in the much-anticipated quadrennial event, as the fourth South American team to play in the Olympic Games.