Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 6, 2016 - Cameroon will present the first volleyball challenge to the hosts of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. On the first competition day, Brazil will meet the African squad with the hope to please the home fans with a successful start in women’s Pool A.
Brazil are not only the hosts of these Summer Olympics, but are also defending their titles from the last two editions – Beijing 2008 and London 2012, so they are under a lot of pressure to make it three in a row by claiming another gold at home in Rio.
The South American powerhouse has been consistently part of women’s Olympic volleyball since Moscow 1980, so Rio 2016 will be their tenth participation. In addition to the two titles, their Olympic record features two bronze medals – from Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000.
On the opposite end of Olympic experience, Cameroon are excited to make their Olympic debut in Rio de Janeiro. Just by being at these Games, the African side have already achieved their Olympic dream and any success on the court in Brazil will be an added bonus.
While the South American team are participating in Rio 2016 as hosts, Cameroon secured their historic ticket to the Olympics by winning the CAVB African Continental Olympic Qualification Tournament.
Most recently, Brazil and Cameroon met at the FIVB Volleyball World Championship in Italy. On September 24, 2014, in Trieste, Brazil mastered a 3-0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-18) shutout of their modest African opponents.