{"id":60051,"date":"2021-06-08T11:48:10","date_gmt":"2021-06-08T11:48:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/?p=60051"},"modified":"2021-06-08T11:49:11","modified_gmt":"2021-06-08T11:49:11","slug":"vanuatu-womens-bv-team-hope-to-make-history-by-qualifying-for-tokyo-olympics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/vanuatu-womens-bv-team-hope-to-make-history-by-qualifying-for-tokyo-olympics\/","title":{"rendered":"VANUATU WOMEN\u2019S BEACH VOLLEYBALL TEAM HOPE TO MAKE HISTORY BY QUALIFYING FOR TOKYO OLYMPICS"},"content":{"rendered":"<style type=\"text\/css\"><\/style><p><strong>Credit: vanuatuvolleyball.com<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When Debbie Masauvakalo founded\u00a0the Vanuatu beach volleyball team\u00a0in 2007, she had high hopes. But she never imagined how far the women would go.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Our aim was just to become the best at beach volleyball in the Pacific,&#8221; the\u00a0Australian former volunteer said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;So we never started with the ambition of qualifying for the Olympic Games.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But in 2009, Australian Olympic gold medal winner Natalie Cook saw the team play during a visit to Vanuatu\u00a0and she told Masauvakalo they were world-class.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;She planted the seed in our minds and our hearts that we could qualify for the Olympic Games,&#8221; Masauvakalo said.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, achieving success on the world stage would be a challenge.<\/p>\n<p>Vanuatu\u00a0has sent a total of 31 individual athletes to the Olympics since its first appearance in 1988, but no\u00a0team from the Pacific nation has ever qualified.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-60053\" src=\"https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/2-18-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/2-18-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/2-18-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/2-18-580x387.jpg 580w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/2-18-860x574.jpg 860w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/2-18-500x334.jpg 500w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/2-18-800x534.jpg 800w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/2-18.jpg 862w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>For female players, the situation can be even more difficult\u00a0\u2014\u00a0women are not always encouraged to participate in sport, or even lead\u00a0an independent life outside the home.<\/p>\n<p>Not a single female athlete from Vanuatu competed in the 2016 Summer Games,\u00a0for the first time in the country&#8217;s\u00a0Olympic history.<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0beach volleyball team came close though, and only missed\u00a0out on competing in Rio de Janeiro by a single\u00a0place.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;That was pretty disheartening,&#8221; Masauvakalo said.<br \/>\n&#8220;Not to be able to get across the line, it was pretty heartbreaking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-60054\" src=\"https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/3-17-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/3-17-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/3-17-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/3-17-580x387.jpg 580w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/3-17-860x574.jpg 860w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/3-17-500x334.jpg 500w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/3-17-800x534.jpg 800w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/3-17.jpg 862w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Five years later, amid a very unusual lead-up to the Tokyo Olympics, the players are determined to represent Vanuatu\u00a0this time by winning a crucial qualifier in Thailand.<\/p>\n<p>For some of the women, it&#8217;s their final\u00a0opportunity for Olympics glory.<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8216;We&#8217;ve been fighting for a place for a long time&#8217;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For Miller Pata, it&#8217;s do-or-die time.<br \/>\nShe&#8217;s been a key partner in each of the team&#8217;s three Olympic bids, but at 34, this is likely to be her last chance to make sporting history.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-60055\" src=\"https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/4-17-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/4-17-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/4-17-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/4-17-580x387.jpg 580w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/4-17-860x574.jpg 860w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/4-17-500x334.jpg 500w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/4-17-800x534.jpg 800w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/4-17.jpg 862w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>She hails from the Banks Islands, one of the most\u00a0remote\u00a0places in the world.<\/p>\n<p>With her father&#8217;s encouragement, she pursued the sport as a young girl, soon\u00a0becoming\u00a0what some commentators\u00a0call the &#8220;Queen of the Court&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Her father died last year,\u00a0and today she is driven by this\u00a0memory of her &#8220;biggest fan&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I really miss him so much,&#8221; she said.<br \/>\nVolleyball has allowed Pata\u00a0to travel to over 30 countries, where she has\u00a0knocked out top-ranked teams from Brazil, China and Australia.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-60056\" src=\"https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/6-17-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/6-17-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/6-17-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/6-17-580x387.jpg 580w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/6-17-860x574.jpg 860w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/6-17-500x334.jpg 500w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/6-17-800x534.jpg 800w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/6-17.jpg 862w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The results have been startling for some, like teammate Lawac Majabelle, who\u00a0played her first beach volleyball game just over a year ago.<\/p>\n<p>Now she&#8217;s on the national team.<br \/>\n&#8220;It was a surprise for me. I never dreamed that I would be playing beach volleyball,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;But no regrets. My dream is to be a role model for the young girls in Vanuatu.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The team have\u00a0worked hard to try to\u00a0earn their\u00a0spot in Tokyo, training\u00a0every day\u00a0rain or shine.<\/p>\n<p>Teammate Sherysyn Toko is equally determined.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve been fighting for a place for a long time, since 2012.\u00a0But now\u00a0we think that we can make it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>COVID-19 presents unusual hurdle<\/strong><br \/>\nThe pandemic kept Italian coach Federica Tonon waiting for months before she could finally join the team.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-60057\" src=\"https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/7-16-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/7-16-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/7-16-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/7-16-580x387.jpg 580w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/7-16-860x574.jpg 860w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/7-16-500x334.jpg 500w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/7-16-800x534.jpg 800w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/7-16.jpg 862w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Once she arrived in Vanuatu, she recognised the players&#8217;\u00a0talent and ability to clinch a position at the Olympics.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They are rough diamonds. I&#8217;m very happy and fortunate to work with them,&#8221; Tonon said.<\/p>\n<p>The qualifying tournament will take place inside a quarantine bubble in Thailand.<\/p>\n<p>The stakes are high.\u00a0Only the winning team gets a ticket to Tokyo, while\u00a0the rest return\u00a0home to heal and plan their next campaign.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-60058\" src=\"https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/9-15-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/9-15-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/9-15-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/9-15-580x387.jpg 580w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/9-15-860x574.jpg 860w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/9-15-500x334.jpg 500w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/9-15-800x534.jpg 800w, https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/9-15.jpg 862w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Vanuatu players left for Bangkok on Friday, after becoming some of the first people in Vanuatu to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine. The tournament kicks off in three weeks.<\/p>\n<p>With COVID-19 still running rampant in Japan\u00a0and lingering doubts over whether the Tokyo Games will go ahead at all, their Olympic dreams\u00a0may yet be dashed despite their best efforts.<\/p>\n<p>But all the Vanuatu women&#8217;s beach volleyball team want is a chance. If they can play, they&#8217;re confident they can win.<\/p>\n<p>Related links of AVC<br \/>\nAVC Website: click www.asianvolleyball.net<br \/>\nAVC Facebook: click www.Facebook.com\/AsianVolleyballConfederation<br \/>\nAVC Twitter: click: https:\/\/twitter.com\/avcvolley<br \/>\nAVC Instagram: click: https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/avcvolley\/?hl=en<br \/>\nAVC Youtube: click: Asian Volleyball Confederation<br \/>\nAVC WeChat: Asian Volleyball Confederation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Credit: vanuatuvolleyball.com When Debbie Masauvakalo founded\u00a0the Vanuatu beach volleyball team\u00a0in 2007, she had high hopes. But she never imagined how far the women would go. &#8220;Our aim was just to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":60052,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"pgc_sgb_lightbox_settings":"","_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[88,100],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beach-volleyball-news","category-slider"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>VANUATU WOMEN\u2019S BEACH VOLLEYBALL TEAM HOPE TO MAKE HISTORY BY QUALIFYING FOR TOKYO OLYMPICS - Asian Volleyball Confederation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/vanuatu-womens-bv-team-hope-to-make-history-by-qualifying-for-tokyo-olympics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"VANUATU WOMEN\u2019S BEACH VOLLEYBALL TEAM HOPE TO MAKE HISTORY BY QUALIFYING FOR TOKYO OLYMPICS - Asian Volleyball Confederation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Credit: vanuatuvolleyball.com When Debbie Masauvakalo founded\u00a0the Vanuatu beach volleyball team\u00a0in 2007, she had high hopes. But she never imagined how far the women would go. &#8220;Our aim was just to...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/vanuatu-womens-bv-team-hope-to-make-history-by-qualifying-for-tokyo-olympics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Asian Volleyball Confederation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/avcasianvolleyball\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-06-08T11:48:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-06-08T11:49:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/1-20.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"862\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"485\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Preechachan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Preechachan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/vanuatu-womens-bv-team-hope-to-make-history-by-qualifying-for-tokyo-olympics\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/vanuatu-womens-bv-team-hope-to-make-history-by-qualifying-for-tokyo-olympics\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Preechachan\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/#\/schema\/person\/41167ad2e7fef3b18dfe241679cce68a\"},\"headline\":\"VANUATU WOMEN\u2019S BEACH VOLLEYBALL TEAM HOPE TO MAKE HISTORY BY QUALIFYING FOR TOKYO OLYMPICS\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-06-08T11:48:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-06-08T11:49:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/vanuatu-womens-bv-team-hope-to-make-history-by-qualifying-for-tokyo-olympics\/\"},\"wordCount\":751,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/vanuatu-womens-bv-team-hope-to-make-history-by-qualifying-for-tokyo-olympics\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/1-20.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"BEACH VOLLEYBALL NEWS\",\"Slider\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/vanuatu-womens-bv-team-hope-to-make-history-by-qualifying-for-tokyo-olympics\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/vanuatu-womens-bv-team-hope-to-make-history-by-qualifying-for-tokyo-olympics\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/asianvolleyball.net\/new\/vanuatu-womens-bv-team-hope-to-make-history-by-qualifying-for-tokyo-olympics\/\",\"name\":\"VANUATU WOMEN\u2019S BEACH VOLLEYBALL TEAM HOPE TO MAKE HISTORY BY QUALIFYING FOR TOKYO OLYMPICS - 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