Lozano: Iran prove their training a cut above Europeans
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Tehran, Iran, April 23, 2016 – Iran volleyball team are ready for the World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Tokyo, Japan, where Australia, Canada, China, France, Japan, Poland, Iran and Venezuela will contest the single round-robin competition from May 28 to June 5 to vie for four Olympic berths on offer.
The best Asian team along with the top three teams in this tournament will be eligible for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil coming August.
After the training session, newly-appointed head coach of Iran team, Mr. Raul Lozano, attended an interview session. Commenting on Iran’s preparation for the WOQT in Japan, Lozano said that European teams still have their commitment with their Leagues and have yet started their preparation, while Iran are in their fourth week of training. He is upbeat that Iran will have a better preparation than the other teams.
What is the current situation of the team?
In general, Iran volleyball team have a good condition. Mojtab Mirza Janpour just has a minute spasm. Opposite player Amir Ghafour has toothache. Injury of Adel Gholami and Mousavi, both of them middle blockers, have been improving. They have been training together. Actually, none of the players suffers from any injury.
What were the criteria of players’ selection?
I get familiar with my players. In recent months, I have been considering each of them and I knew how each of them performs in different positions.
You have selected players while you have not watched the League matches? How is that?
I have seen all the videos. I analyzed them and selected them as it they were their performances in the League. Even in selection, I took their work efficiency into consideration.
What are the strong points of the players?
Iran team are doing well on team capacity, their attack, reception, and defense over net. We should improve coordination between defenders over net and receivers; even we should make our work better over high balls.
Are the intensensive exercises the main reasons of injuries?
I explained that no one is injured; Mousavi and Gholami are back to the trainings. Muscle spasm of Mirzajanpour, Ghafour’s toothache is not related to training plans. Such matters are not injuries. If you consider we are doing tough exercises, I would answer yes. We are doing hard and heavy trainings. So, there is no injury upon this point.
You have planned few friendly games for your team ?
The other teams have fewer preparation games than our team. Our preparation games are still not sufficient, I think it is also the same for them. As I said most of the European teams have been competing in their Leagues, their games are not yet finished, so they have not started their trainings and are not going to have friendly matches with other teams. For the time being, these preparations games are good options for us. 
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STUNNING START FOR NEW AUSTRALIAN BEACH COMBINATION
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Palembang, Indonesia, April 23, 2016 – Australian beach volleyballers Becchara Palmer and Phoebe Bell, playing in their first tournament together, have pulled off a stunning victory in the Palembang Open in Indonesia on Saturday.
Along the route to victory 2012 Olympian Palmer and teenager Bell beat fellow Australians, Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Nikki Laird, and in doing so denied them the chance of a hat-trick of Asian tour titles.
Meanwhile it was a return to the winner’s circle for Australia’s Isaac Kapa and Chris McHugh in the men’s competition.
The Australians, who won the Pak Bara Open in Thailand two weeks ago before losing last weekend’s Samila Open, had an incredible tussle against Kazakhstan’s Alexey Kuleshov and Dmitriy Yakovlev.
After taking the opening set, they were then outplayed in the second, before clawing their way to victory in a tense final set 21-16, 15-21, 20-18.
12 months ago Bell and Palmer were playing for the Australian women’s indoor team.
But while Palmer, who competed at the London 2012 Olympics alongside Louise Bawden, returned to beach volleyball at the start of the Australian summer, 19-year-old Bell has only recently committed to the beach program.
“We’re pretty chuffed,” Palmer said.
“Our tournament was run game-by-game. We knew what we wanted to create, and it only took us a few games to start seeing it
“But once it clicked, it clicked.”
Bell and Palmer beat del Solar and Laird 21-18, 21-17 in the semi-finals, and were then too strong for Kazakhstan’s Tatiana Mashkova and Irina Tsimbalova 22-20, 21-14 in the final.
Their victory adds intrigue to June’s Asian Olympic beach qualifiers, with Australia hoping to qualify a men’s and women’s team for Rio.
While del Solar and Laird are considered the front runners should Australia be successful, the form of Bell and Palmer shows it will not be straightforward.