Volleyball Canada has recently announced men’s and women’s beach volleyball teams for the upcoming Continental Olympic Qualification Tournament in Mazatlan, Mexico.
The double-gender competition will get the green light on Thursday, June 21 and the thrilling action of beach volleyball will be continued till Saturday, June 23. Canada will be represented by two men’s and two women’s tandems in the competition. It will
be the final phase of Continental Cup for NORCECA teams and winners in both categories will earn tickets to the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Previously, this tournament was scheduled to take place from June 19-24 but some uncongenial circumstances caused the delay. As a result, the schedule of the event experienced a little change but the venue remained the same. Sandy beaches of Mazatlan will
hold the action NORCECA Continental Cup Finals from June 21-23, according to the new plan.
In the men’s section, Josh Binstock- Martin Reader and Ben Saxton-Christian Redmann will play under the flag of Canada. Likewise, female duos of Heather Bansley-Liz Maloney and Annie Martin-Marie-Andrée Lessard will try to defend Canadian legacy in women’s
tournament. Volleyball Canada has selected all eight players for the Continental Cup Finals by reviewing their performances on the FIVB World Tour circuit.
In addition to the Canadian teams, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua and Puerto Rico will also send two teams per gender in the competition. However, Costa Rica will have only one pair playing at the Continental Olympic Qualification Tournament
in Mexico.
Top teams in both men's and women's tournament will go straight into the Olympics. Nevertheless, the second and third place finishers will get another chance to prove their endeavours. They will join the Olympic Qualifications Tournament in Moscow, in order
to secure a trip to London.
Canadian pairs have good reputation in competition and currently they are staying without any injuries. They are determined to give out an up-to-mark performance, in order to clinch Olympic berths. Nonetheless, Canadian teams will have to overcome duos from
host Mexico and Cuba. Mexican pairs will have the emotional support of local fans, which will serve as competitive advantage for them. On the other hand, Cuba has experienced players who will surely create a lot of buzz on the centre court.
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