Germany Shocks Italy in Olympic Qualifiers

A stunning tournament for Germany so far in Rio, latest to fall victim being the European vice-champions and reigning world champions, Italy in a night when György Grozer scored 31 points.

Watch Germany's matches from the CEV EuroVolley 2023 on EuroVolley.TV

After defeating Brazil in Rio just the other day, Germany continues their hot streak at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament taking place in South America by defeating Italy in four sets 3-1 (26-24, 18-25, 25-20, 25-23). This result pushes the undefeated Germans at the top of their tournament – Pool A, with four wins out of as many matches and all 12 pts.

Germany’s experienced Opposite, György Grozer continued his own great run of form, scoring a whopping 31 pts that sees him at the top of the scorers’ rankings (105). Italy remains in the running for a place in Paris 2024, having three wins and 9 pts so far, placing third in the standings.

Teams playing in Rio will now enjoy a day off this Thursday, to return to action on Friday and play out the remainder of the tournament.

Elsewhere, Slovenia is in second place of Pool B, behind the USA, with a perfect record so far, 4 wins and 12 points, while Serbia is right behind them in third, having suffered one defeat. The other two European teams playing in Pool B, Türkiye and Finland are currently in 5^th and 7^th place respectively.

Recently crowned European Champions, Poland is at the top of Pool C with 4 wins and 10pts to their name. Belgium is currently in 4^th place, only 1 point behind a qualifying spot, while Bulgaria and the Netherlands are placed 5^th and 6^th.

The top two teams of each of the three qualifying tournaments secure their spot at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.