Volleyball teams of the UK finally given the host country spot
The British Olympic Association has repeatedly said that no sport will qualify as host without strict guidelines being followed. Even though a majority of the 26 sports are automatically eligible for qualification, it is not a given that they will be the
host. Basketball is the only exception out of these.
Andy Hunt, who is the BOA chief executive, insisted that in order to represent Great Britain at London 2012, the sport must be able to deliver a standard performance and come up with a comprehensive legacy plan for after the Olympics.
At the start of 2009, volleyball among the eight other Olympic sports underwent the effects of a shortage of funds equivalent to 50 million pounds. Starting from October this year, the remaining funds were channeled to the men’s indoor and women’s beach
programmes by British Volleyball. The effect of this was that the indoor women and beach men were left to feel somewhat stranded.
However, Hunt has had long consultation sessions with the British Volleyball Federation president and his staff. He is persistent that volleyball satisfies all the necessary requirements for London 2012 participation.
"Our objective is to be as inclusive as possible, as it is our aspiration to have the largest team in over a century representing Great Britain at home in London 2012," said Hunt.
"Equally however, we understand that the British public expects every athlete who competes for Team GB to be capable of delivering a credible performance during the Games."
"It is also appropriate to expect that London 2012 will not be a singular moment in time, but rather a launching pad from which every National Governing Body can implement a long-term strategy to support the continued growth and development of their sport."
"We are delighted to see that British Volleyball has put in place a plan to ensure that the men's and women's indoor teams representing Team GB are capable of delivering a credible performance in London 2012, and will utilize the unique platform of a home
Games to inspire the next generation of volleyball participants."
The target that the men’s and women’s indoor volleyball teams have to achieve is to make a top 8 finish at the 12-team London 2012 contests. This will prove to be quite a task for both the teams as the men are currently ranking 89th in the world
while the women are at the 64th position.
Callicott, however, is optimistic and insists world rankings do not matter much when it comes to the Olympics, adding that both the teams have made a significant amount of progress in the last four years.
"I am absolutely delighted that the British Olympic Association has determined to enter the Great Britain's men's and women's teams in the London 2012 Olympic Games as part of Team GB," said Callicott.
"Since 2006 we've played 173 international matches and beaten some of the countries to qualify for the World Championships through other confederations other than Europe - so the world rankings mean very little when it comes to the Olympics.
"It is a magnificent step on the road to London 2012, and a sign that volleyball in this country is moving forward.
"We will demonstrate that GB can compete with more than just a credible performance."
Pipes, a player for the Langhenkal Volley in the Netherlands is excited at the prospect of being the host country for volleyball. He feels that the efforts of the staff, coaches and players have been rewarded by the verdict of the BOA.
This statement of Pipes shows his jubilation:
"It is the sum of years of training and torment in the pursuit of our collective dream of taking volleyball to London 2012."
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