Turkey seeks Olympic berth

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

Turkey’s national women’s volleyball team stands two wins away from ending the nation’s half-century old drought in the Olympics.

Turkey beat Bulgaria and Croatia to guarantee a spot in the semifinals of the Olympic qualifiers. If Turkey can win the eight-team competition played in its capital, Ankara, it will win berth in the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Turkey has not been being represented in the Olympics in team sports since the 1960 Rome Olympics.

Prior to that date, the country was represented six times with the football team and twice with the basketball team. No Turkish volleyball team has played in the Olympics before.

Turkey was scheduled to play against Germany, who also guaranteed its semifinal spot, in its last group in the Pool A yesterday.

Poland advanced from the Pool B to the semifinals over the Netherlands, Russia and Serbia, but the Serbia vs. Poland and Russia vs. the Netherlands games will be key in deciding the second semifinalist.

The semifinal games will be played on May 5 and final will be played on May 6.