Japan and South Korea are among the eight teams named to the list of countries which will participate in the women's volleyball final Olympic qualifying tournament, the Japan Volleyball Association said Tuesday.
Officials said Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Russia, Italy, Argentina and Puerto Rico will compete in the May 8-16 tournament at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
Japan will be able to win a berth for this summer's Athens Olympics if it finishes top among the four Asian teams or ranks in the top three in the overall standings without including the Asian champion.
The men's final Olympic tournament will be held in three different nations with Japan to host the May 22-30 event at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium featuring eight teams, including five from the Asian division -- Japan, South Korea, China, Iran and Australia.