Aussie Men Win Olympics Berth

Despite losing their last match to Iran, the Volleyball Team Australian Men have qualified for the 2004 Athens Olympics.

They did it by the smallest of margins though, edging out China on the ladder by no more than 10 points over the seven qualifying tournament matches - the teams were equal on both match wins and total sets won and lost.

The Australians had to win just one set in their final match of the qualifying tournament against Iran to ensure a berth at the Olympics. However, after some fantastic victories earlier in the week against the likes of Japan, China and Canada, the Aussies couldn't raise the energy levels back up one last time. They lost in straight sets (19-25, 24-26, 23-25) and had to wait for the China-Canada match before knowing their fate.

China managed to beat Canada 3-0 in the afternoon, but fell just a few points short of a spot at the Olympics.

Congratulations to the Australian team and we look forward to seeing them on our tv screens during the Athens Games (note that SBS TV has the rights to volleyball and several other minor sports during the Olympics).