The volleyball qualifying system for the 2016 Olympics is among the most complicated of all. World champions and continental champions do not qualify automatically. Instead, every national team has to take part in the World Cup or a qualifying tourney. Only the host country qualifies automatically.

To date, 4 out of 12 teams have qualified for the Olympics tournament: Brazil, the host country; the US and Italy, the two best teams at the September World Cup; and Argentina, who won the South American qualifying tournament a week ago.

Eight team slots are still available for the tournament. One of the open slots will go to the winner of the European qualifying tournament that takes place in Berlin in January. Slovenia, who won silver at the European Championship, will not participate in the European qualifying tourney. Instead, the tournament will feature Germany, the host country, as well as the seven best-ranked European national teams. The rankings, which were released today, show that Slovenia is ranked 10th in Europe. Ninth-ranked Belgium, the last team to qualify for the tourney, holds a two-point lead over Slovenia.

The European rankings are based on results from seven big tournaments – including the European Games in Baku, in which Slovenia did not participate, even though it was promised a spot. Instead, the financially stronger Turkish team got the spot. If Slovenia had participated in the European Games, the team would have definitely secured enough points to book their ticket to Berlin. Interestingly, Slovenia only got one point for winning silver at the European Championship.

The European qualifying tournament in Berlin will feature the following teams: Germany, Russia, Bulgaria, Poland, Serbia, France, Finland and Belgium. Only the best team will qualify for the Olympics, while the two runners-up will vie for a spot in Rio at the World Qualifying Tournament in Japan. The top three placers will go to the Olympics.

They will be joined by the winners of the North American, African, Asian and intercontinental tournaments. In short, only a fan of combinatorics could have devised such a system.

R. K.; translated by D. V.