The Dominican volleyball team could still make it to the Sydney Olympic Games. The spokesman for the Volleyball Federation, Cristobal Marte said that the Dominican Republic will be present at the World Volleyball Championship that start 26 June of this year in Tokyo. He did not think the 18-person team will not make the trip because of financial problems. He said they have the support of President Fernández and Minister of Sports Marichal. The DR team placed third in the Panamerican Volleyball Tournament held in the US. He said they have paid the US$50 per player for the participation in Japan and have made airline and hotel reservations. Twelve teams will vie for posts in the Olympics in that tournament. For the Americas, Canada, Argentina and the DR will compete for a slot. The DR team is ranked 9th in the world, and 5th in the Americas, behind Cuba, Brazil, the US and Canada. If the DR qualifies for the Olympic Games, it would be a first for a volleyball delegation.
