The Iran National Volleyball Team arrived in Tokyo on Thursday from Seoul to participate in the qualifying matches for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. According to the IRNA news agency, the team will play its first match against the Canadian volleyball team next Saturday at the 'Metropolitan' volleyball hall in Tokyo. The team's subsequent matches will be against South Korea on Sunday, China on Tuesday, Japan on Wednesday, France on Friday, Algeria on Saturday, and Australia on Sunday. The Iran National Volleyball Team achieved third place in Asia last September in China, securing a spot in these qualifiers. To prepare for the Olympic qualifying matches, the team held a three-day training camp in Seoul, where they played two matches against the Hyundai volleyball team, the runner-up of the South Korean volleyball league, winning both matches with scores of 3-2 and 3-1. The team consists of Mohammad Torkashvand, Peyman Akbari, Amir Hossein Manzumi, Behnam Mahmoudi, Mohammad Mansouri, Alireza Nadi, Akbar Khodavardi, Abbas Ghasemian, Alireza Behboudi, Amir Hosseini, Aziz Jazeera, and Farhad Zareef. The head coach is Park Ki-won from South Korea, with Mohammad Sadegh Pashang as the team coach, Nader Shahvandi as the fitness coach, and Saeed Derakhshandeh as the team manager. It is noteworthy that only two of the eight mentioned teams will qualify for the Athens Olympics, with at least one of them needing to be Asian. However, if the champion and runner-up are both from Asia, both teams will qualify for the Athens Olympics.
Iran National Volleyball Team Arrives in Tokyo
The Iran National Volleyball Team has arrived in Tokyo to compete in the Olympic qualifying matches for Athens 2004. They will face several teams, including Canada and South Korea, and aim to secure a spot in the Olympics after achieving third place in Asia last year. This event is significant as it showcases Iran's growing presence in international sports.
👥 Key Players
📰 What Happened
The Iran National Volleyball Team arrived in Tokyo to compete in the qualifying matches for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. They will face several teams, including Canada and South Korea, in hopes of securing a spot in the Olympics.
- The team achieved third place in Asia last September, qualifying for these matches.
- Only two of the eight teams will qualify for the Olympics, with at least one needing to be from Asia.
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
Iran has been increasingly active in international sports, using athletic success to promote national pride and improve its global image. The Olympic qualifiers are a critical step in this endeavor.
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
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