Northern Mexican city Monterrey will host an Olympic volleyball
qualifying tournament from Monday to Sunday, a contest which will
give the winner a place in the 2008 Olympic Games.
The tournament for the North and Central America and Caribbean
Region will be played in two groups. Group A is Puerto Rico, Cuba
and Panama and Group B is the Dominican Republic, Mexico and
Trinidad and Tobago.
Cuba, ranked third in the world, is heavily favored to win the
tournament and to join the United States in the Olympics.
The Dominican Republic is ranked 14th in the world, followed by
Puerto Rico in 19th, Canada 24th, Mexico 25th and Trinidad and
Tobago 70th.
The Cuban team had been defeated by the Dominican Republic in
the final of the Central American Games, but struck back in the
Pan-American Games and the World Cup.
(Xinhua News Agency December 17, 2007)