Lausanne, Switzerland, May 25, 2016 – Despite having one of the strongest volleyball cultures in the world, the Italian women’s team haven’t always lived up to their promise.
In fact, Italy only qualified for the Olympics for the first time in 2000, some 36 years after the sport was introduced to the Games. Like this year, that was also through an Olympic Qualification Tournament in Tokyo. Korea also qualified from the same tournament, but the Netherlands and Japan missed out.
Since 2000, Italy have competed in every Olympic Games, but they have never progressed beyond the Quarterfinals.
Italy would have to settle for just making it to Sydney in 2000. They won only one of their give Group B matches – against Peru, who lost all five – although the game against Korea was epic. They lost that one 23-25, 25-18, 25-22, 22-25, 27-25.
Despite being World Champions (2002), Italy had to qualify for the 2004 Olympics in Greece from another Qualification Tournament in Tokyo and went on to earn the first of three straight fifth-place finishes. They won four of their Pool A matches 3-0, losing only to unbeaten Brazil 3-2. Their quarterfinal loss to Cuba was also 3-2. As some form of compensation, Paola Cardullo was named the Best Libero in the tournament.
For the Beijing Olympics in 2008, Italy once again qualified at a tournament in Japan, but this time it was as champions of the 2007 FIVB World Cup, where they were undefeated in 11 matches. As in Athens, they won four of their five Pool B matches, losing only to Brazil. They were eliminated at the Quarterfinal stage in a five-setter against the United States.
Repeating as World Cup champions meant Italy could forego further qualification for the London Olympics in 2012, but their record in the tournament had a familiar ring to it. They managed to avoid Brazil in the pool stage but came up against a powerful Russian team, who won all five of their matches. Italy were 4-1 once again. As World Cup champions, they might have been expected to overcome Korea in the Quarterfinals, but it wasn’t to be and the Koreans, with tournament MVP Kim Yeon Koung, triumphed 3-1.
So what’s next for the Italians? As two-time World Cup champions and 2009 FIVB Grand Champions Cup winners, they have proven they can win tough, world-class tournaments – and the World Cup is one of the toughest – and under the leadership of coach Marco Bonitta, they will be looking to move up from fifth place when they get to Rio in August.