Left to right, Bernardo Rezoned (BRA), Glenn Hoag (CAN), Laurent Tillie (FRA), Gianlorenzo Blengini (ITA), Jorge Azair (MEX), John Speraw (USA) at the official Press Conference for Rio 2016.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 5, 2016 - France want to continue living their dream at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and are ready to fight for it, according to coach Laurent Tillie at the official Press Conference ahead of the start of the men's Olympic Volleyball Tournament on Sunday.
"For us this is a dream come true," said the 52-year-old. "The Olympic Games in Rio are a great adventure and we want to continue fighting and continue dreaming."
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Rio 2016 Olympic Games - Volleyball - Media GuideRio 2016 Olympic Games - Volleyball historyFrance are riding on the momentum of their 2015 wonder year, when they made an incredible run in the FIVB World League to win the title right here in Rio and then went on to win the European Championship in Sofia.
But the men's volleyball tournament at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games is the most balanced in the history of the event, with a host of teams favourites and capable of claiming the gold medal, as all coaches agreed.
Here is what coaches of men's Pool A had to say:
Bernardo 'Bernardiho' Rezende, Brazil: "I am very proud that my home city is hosting these Olympic Games and hope it will be a great experience for all. This is a very tough pool with lots of favourites. It is the most balanced Olympic Games ever and anything can happen.
Glenn Hoag, Canada: "I'd like to thank the Brazilians for hosting us here. It's been a great journey so far and we hope to compete well, with our first objective to emerge from the first phase."
Gianlorenzo Blengini, Italy: "It's a big honour to be here and we are very excited. We knnow we are in a very strong pool and we know we have to fight from the very first game and grow match by match."
Jorge Azair, Mexico: "This is a geat exxperience for us. We are in the 'Group of Death', but we want to give our best and maybe surprise some of our opponents on the way, showing the world that Mexico can play good volleyball."
John Speraw, USA: "We are excited to be here and we want to play well."