(BEIJING, May 27) on Sunday, the host team beat Spain 3-2 to claim a ticket to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games via the FIVB Men's World Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
In an earlier match on the same day, Cuba beat Chinese Taipei in three straight sets, 25-14, 25-18, 25-16. Cuba had two wins and one loss; whether or not they would qualify for the Beijing Olympics was decided by Germany's match.
As Spain was defeated by Cuba in the first round, the European team was in an unfavorable position. Because Cuba beat Chinese Taipei 3-0, even if Spain won their fight against Germany in three straight sets, they would not have been able to win the championship title due to comparative gain-loss sets.
Although Germany and Spain were well matched in strength, the Germans took an early lead, winning the first two sets. Spain came back, winning the next two, but in the final set, the Germans again pulled ahead, defeating the Spaniards 15-10.
So far, 9 countries have qualified for the 2008 Olympic Games:
China, Brazil, Russia, Bulgaria, Venezuela, United States, Serbia, Egypt, and Germany.
The last three teams will be decided in the qualification tournaments to be held in Portugal and Japan.
