Are we going or not?
At four months and one week before the Games still scheduled in Tokyo (July 23-August 8), most French athletes are not definitively fixed on their participation in the strange Olympic party that is coming.
In individual sports, only about fifty elected officials (in open water, sailing, gymnastics, climbing, etc.) prepare for the Japanese challenge a little more calmly.
In team sports, six French teams (men's football and volleyball, men's and women's basketball and handball) have already qualified.
State of play.
HANDBALL
Yes for girls and boys.
Sacred European champion at home in December 2018, the French women's team, very disappointing then during the last Worlds (13th), secured its place at the ball of the rings.
Guillaume Gille's players had to wait until the last few hours to finally breathe out of qualifying for the Montpellier TQO despite their defeat against Portugal (28-29).
VOLLEYBALL
Yes for boys, no for girls.
Among the girls, there was not a lot of suspense.
Their world ranking does not allow them to open the doors to the qualifying events at the Games.
The boys waited for their last chance to qualify during an explosive TQO in Berlin in January 2020. Laurent Tillie's men, who will end his nine-year lease at the end of the Games, will therefore be there. you summery.
SOCCER
Yes for boys, no for girls.
Thanks to its semi-final of Euro 2019, the France Espoirs team qualified for its first Olympic Games since 1996.
On the other hand, the girls will not make the trip to Japan.
Released in the quarterfinals of their World Cup by the United States, the players of Corinne Deacon missed the boat by not finishing among the three best European nations in the competition.
BASKET (5 against 5)
Yes for boys and girls.
The epic of Vincent Collet's men at the Chinese World Cup (80-66 defeat in the semi-final against Argentina after having taken out the United States in the quarterfinals) allowed them to afford a direct ticket to Tokyo.
Their female counterparts, they had to go through a TQO (Olympic qualifying tournament) in February 2020 in Bourges.
Since then, everyone has been fixed on what to expect in Tokyo.
In Group A, the men's team will challenge the American ogre, Iran and the winner of a final TQO which will take place in Canada from June 29 to July 1.
In Pool B, the Blue will rub shoulders, too, in the United States, along with Nigeria and Japan.
BASKET (3 against 3)
Everyone is waiting.
For both women and men, the top four teams in the world rankings established on November 1, 2019 have directly secured their ticket to Tokyo.
For both women and men, France will play its rings from May 26 to 31, in Graz (Austria), during a qualifying event.
WATER-POLO
Everyone at home.
The men's and women's teams both failed in the quarterfinals of their respective TQOs played in recent weeks.
They will now have to wait until 2024… and automatically qualify for the title of host country.
RUGBY 7
Answer in three months.
For the French teams, the road to Japan goes through Monaco, where the TQO will take place on June 19 and 20.
In the Principality, the girls will compete for a sesame with Argentina, Colombia, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Samoa and Tunisia.
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The boys will rub shoulders with Brazil, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Ireland, Jamaica, Mexico, Samoa, Tonga, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
FIELD HOCKEY
Cursed grass.
The girls had been out of the race for a long time.
The boys missed the march in October 2019 in the last qualifying match against Spain.
The Blues had already missed the last three Olympics (Beijing, London and Rio) by failing on the final obstacle.
Roll on 2024 and a stake already acquired!