The Canadian men's volleyball team secured its ticket to Paris 2024 today, Sunday, earning a spot in the Olympics for the third consecutive time after appearing in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

Canada, ranked 12th, achieved this by defeating Mexico, ranked 34th, with a score of 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-15) in their final match of the men's Olympic qualifying tournament in Xi'an, China. This victory put the Canadians in second place in Group C, which consists of eight teams, with a record of 5-2.

Thomas Sammelvo, Canada’s coach, said in a press release: "It’s unbelievable. I am very happy for volleyball in Canada and for the history of what people have done with this program for many years, now consistently at the Olympics."

"I would like to thank the players, not just those here in China, but also those who put in a lot of effort for this program over the summer, as well as the coaching staff that has been part of the program. It’s incredible. The moment and being at the Olympics is huge, as it represents the country."

Finishing second in the group against Poland, ranked number 1 (7-0), seemed unlikely after Canada fell to 17th-ranked Belgium on Friday, but 19th-ranked Bulgaria, which beat the Belgians earlier on Saturday, opened the door for the Canadians.

Canada did not waste this opportunity this time, dominating the victory in three sets, only trailing 1-0 in each of the first two sets before regaining the lead for good.

Eric Lubke from Steinbach, Manitoba, led the way with 16 points, including one of eight crushing serves for Canada in the match.

Team captain Nicolas Hogg said in a press release: "It was an important match after yesterday. It was disappointing and scary to be in that position, but we got another chance today and seized it. The celebration starts, and we will have a year to prepare for Paris."

Hogg, a native of Sherbrooke, Quebec, is the only current team member who represented Canada in Rio, and one of four who played in 2021 in Tokyo alongside Arthur Szwarc from Toronto, Lucas Van Berkel from Edmonton, and Stephen Maar from Aurora, Ontario.

Canada lost in the quarter-finals in both of the last two Olympic Games, with its best result in four appearances being the loss in the bronze medal match in 1984 in Los Angeles.

Bronze medalist Argentina finished third in Group C, and will have to rely on its world ranking (currently ranked 6th) to secure one of the remaining six spots in the 12-team tournament - a ranking that placed the Canadian women's team at number 11 in its qualifiers in September.
The Canadian coach is confident that the women's team will compete in the 2024 Olympic volleyball tournament
 

The United States and Japan also qualified for the men's tournament this week from Group B, with Germany and Brazil from Group A.

Canada's roster
#20 Jordan Kanham – Avonmore, Ontario.
#13 Samuel Cooper – Hamilton
#97 Landon Corey — Coldstream, British Columbia
#6 Dani Demianenko – Toronto
#1 Pearson Ishchenko – Banff, Alta.
#2 Luke Heer – Winnipeg
#4 Nicolas Hogg - Sherbrooke, Que.
#5 Brody Hoover – Langley, British Columbia
#80 Eric Lubke – Steinbach, Man.
#18 Justin Louie – Pickering, Ontario.
#7 Stephen Maar – Aurora, Ontario.
#16 Jordan Schnitzer – Surrey, British Columbia
#14 Arthur Szwarc - Toronto
#12 Lucas Van Berkel – Edmonton
#8 Brett Walsh – Calgary