Canada’s national men’s volleyball team is headed to the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games after capturing last weekend’s NORCECA Olympic Qualifier in Vancouver.
Canada was undefeated at the qualifier, which also featured Cuba and Mexico. The weekend was not without drama, however, as the host country and Cuba battled it out in five sets in front of a packed house at the Pacific Coliseum on Saturday.
“It was exciting for the fans, exciting for the sport and a very emotional win for us. It will be my fourth time (going to the Olympics), third as a coach, it’s a great feeling every time, it’s a dream come true,” said Canada’s Glenn Hoag who watched his team defeat Puerto Rico 3-0 in Sunday to clinch the berth.
Canada finished fifth in Rio in 2016 with Hoag at the helm.
“We have to look at what we need to do from now until when we go to Tokyo, to really perform at the best level and challenge the best teams in the world. We have a good level, I think we can have a better level,” Hoag added.
The Canadian women’s team, which is based out of the Richmond Olympic Oval, finished third at its NORCECA Tokyo Qualification Tournament in the Dominican Republic after defeating Mexico on Sunday in a battle of winless teams.
"We are disappointed with the results. We had some tough matches against Puerto Rico and Dominican that didn’t go our way. We knew Mexico was a strong team, and it can be difficult to play in these third place matches when the goal you’re chasing has already slipped,” said head coach Tom Black.
