Coaches face tough questions about team selection on eve of Olympic qualifiers

The eight coaches who will spend the next week trying to get their women’s volleyball teams qualified for the Rio Olympics have spent their final pre-event news conference explaining their selection decisions.

With each team only allowed 14 players for the qualifiers in Tokyo, each coach has had to make tough decisions on the eve of one of the toughest weeks of their coaching careers.

“We have to make such difficult decisions all the time, and I have had to make these decisions before,” said Italian coach Marco Bonitta, who announced on Friday that star player Valentina Diouf would be left off the final list.

“But from now on I just want to focus on the players who are on the team.”

Japanese coach Manabe Masayoshi also had to answer tough questions about his final squad, after trimming the numbers from 18 down to 14.

Thai coach Radchatagriengkai Kiattipong was asked about his selection of the youngest player at the tournament, 16.9 years old Chatchu-On Moksri. Thailand is hoping to qualify for its first Olympics.

“I saw her two years ago, and I wanted to get her into the squad to give her some experience,” he said.

“Everybody in Thailand is hoping we …

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