Nikola Grbic has repeatedly emphasized that Poland has so many volleyball players who can play at the international level that selecting the dozen or so best is a real pain. – I don’t even want to imagine next year – he commented, even referring to the Olympic Games in Paris. 12 players can take part in the competition, although it is possible that this regulation will change. This may change the coach’s attitude.
The Polish national volleyball team has had a fantastic time. In 2023, they dominated everyone. They won the European Championship, then triumphed in the Nations League, and finally, with all the victories, they qualified for the Olympic Games in Paris. And next year they will fight to break the streak that has been going on since 2004. Since then, Polish volleyball players have reached the quarterfinals of the event and stopped at this stage. Fans hope that this time it will be different, and the first changes may take place before the event starts.
The players will be happy with the changes before the Olympics. No more headaches?
The Olympic qualifications caused many difficulties, but not for the volleyball players, but for the coach. “Grbic from the beginning this season focused on using a wide squad and the problem of riches. This largely helped to survive the recent torment in China. The problem was so great that the coach could not decide who of the five players – Aleksander Śliwka, Wilfredo Leon, Tomasz Fornal, Bartosz Bednorz and Kamil Semeniuk – cross them out before the LN and European finals,” wrote Agnieszka Niedziałek from Sport.pl about his problems.
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Grbic himself also asked journalists whether they needed to know the names of the 14 players he selected. The journalist emphasized that the coach had chosen all the above-mentioned volleyball players in the qualifying squad, but added a moment later: “Can he also choose a non-standard solution in the case of the Olympics? It may be difficult to rule it out completely after this season, but it seems unlikely.” .
This is all because, according to the regulations, each coach can assemble a 12-person squad that will appear in Paris 2024. However, groundbreaking information on this matter was provided by the Brazilians. “There is already information circulating that the IOC and FIVB are analyzing the possibility of increasing the number of athletes registered for the Olympic Games from 12 to 14,” we read on X.
The source emphasizes that introducing such a change would have certain conditions. The coach would be able to appoint 14 volleyball players, but could only field 12 of them for the match. The other two would act as substitutes who could only be used in the next match. This would allow coaches to rotate their squad throughout the tournament. “This new configuration may open up space for the appointment of two liberos, which has always caused debate and controversy on social media,” we read. It was also emphasized that neither side had received official declarations on this matter.
The 33rd edition of the Summer Olympic Games will start on July 27 and last until August 11, 2024. The volleyball players will play their matches at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles hall. During this time, women’s and men’s volleyball matches will be played throughout the day. The bronze medal games are scheduled for Friday and Saturday (July 9-10). The finals will be held on August 10 and 11. First at 17:00, and the second one the next day at 1:00 p.m.
2023-10-27 18:34:00
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