Chile's Marco Grimalt (left) and Esteban Grimalt will step out for their country in the CSV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup this weekendLausanne, Switzerland, April 27, 2012 – The Beach Volleyball Continental Cup continues on Friday and Saturday with the third phase of the CSV men’s tournament taking place in Chile.
The hosts welcome Uruguay with the winners moving onto the final against Venezuela on June 2 to 3 with the winner earning themselves a place at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Cousins Esteban and Marco Grimalt and Ignacio Jimenez Aedo Guillermo and Martinez Cristobal will be counting on the home support as they take on Guillermo Williman and Nicolas Zanotta Zuccoli as well as Maximiliano Santiago and Renzo Cairus.
So far just one country has qualified for the Games, the men’s team from South Africa topping the CAVB edition of the tournament on April 15.
One country from each of the five FIVB confederations will qualify for the London 2012 Olympic Games through the Continental Cup finals while the second and third placed countries will go to the FIVB World Cup Olympic Qualification tournament to playoff for two more Olympic vacancies.
The final determination of teams that will represent each country will be confirmed by the National Olympic Committee and national federation of each qualifying country and announced by July 9. The drawing of lots for pool assignments at the Olympic Games will take place on July 19 during the A1 Grand Slam in Klagenfurt, Austria.
AVC
Both the AVC Men’s and Women’s Continental Cup Final will be held in China from June 20-24. Australia, New Zealand, Vanuatu, Samoa, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Iran, Kazakhstan and Sri Lanka will compete in the men’s tournament while Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, India, Australia, Vanuatu, New Zealand, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, China, Japan, and Chinese Taipei complete the women’s line-up.
CEV
Men’s teams from Latvia, Austria, the Netherlands and Germany and women’s teams from the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Switzerland booked their place in the Final of the CEV edition which will take place in Moscow (women) and Alanya (men) from June 22-24. They will be joined by four more teams per gender who will compete in semifinal clashes in Sévres, France from May 16 to 19 and Zug and Lucern, Switzerland from May 17 to 19.
CAVB
The African Confederation has seen already one country in the men’s edition qualify for the Olympics through South Africa having won the CAVB Continental Cup Final which took place in Flic en Flac, Mauritius from April 13-15. Morocco, Algeria, Mauritius and South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda, Mozambique and DR Congo will compete in the CAVB Women’s Continental Cup Final in Rwanda from May 24-26.
NORCECA
NORCECA will hold their Final in Mexico from June 21-23 with Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Cuba competing on the men’s side and Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Cuba participating in the women’s contest.
CSV
The women’s edition of the CSV Continental Cup will reach its peak on June 2-3 when Uruguay take on home side Argentina in the final for a ticket to London. Third placed Venezuela will play in the World Cup Olympic Qualification tournament. Meanwhile, in the men's edition, Chile host Uruguay on May 19-20 with the winner visiting Venezuela to take on the hosts from June 2-3 with the victor earning a berth to the Games.
FIVB World Cup Olympic Qualification tournament
The remaining two spots in London will be filled for men and women through the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Cup Olympic Qualification tournament, with the second and third-placed countries from the five Continental Cup finals competing. This will be held in Tortoli, Italy from June 27 to July 1.
Qualified Olympic countries (as of 27/04/12)
South Africa[center]1[/center]
Continental Cup
World Cup Olympic Qualification participating countries (as of 24/04/12)
Men
viaWomen
via
Angola
CAVB Continental Cup runner up
Venezuela
CSV Continental Cup third place
NigeriaCAVB Continental Cup third place
With a quota once again of two teams maximum per gender, per country completing the 24-team fields for each gender, the FIVB announced two years ago that just 16 spots will be filled through the Olympic rankings compared to 24 in the past. These will be based on standings for the 12 best results for each team on the FIVB SWATCH World Tour from the beginning of 2011 through to the conclusion of the Rome Grand Slam on June 17, the FIVB SWATCH World Championships and the AVC and Europe Continental Tour Finals. An additional spot has been given to Great Britain as the host country, while the remaining seven spots will be determined differently than in the past four Olympic Games with the introduction of the Continental Cup and FIVB World Cup.
