HAVANA, Cuba. - We are 118 days away from the opening of the XXX Olympic Games in London. During the current April, some Cuban athletes will join the list of those that have qualified. Such is the case of cycling and judo, although many others will secure their tickets in early May.

In fact, our women’s volleyball team could qualify for the tournament in the British capital next May 5. The final match of the pre-Olympic tournament of the NORCECA Confederation is scheduled for that day in Tijuana, Mexico.

The Cuban team will play in pool B of the above-mentioned tournament, with the teams of Costa Rica, Trinidad Tobago and Mexico. We believe that Cuba should win that pool, escorted by the host team.

The teams of Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Canada and Honduras are in pool A. Dominicans, and either Puerto Ricans or Canadians are expected to lead that pool and the Cubans are supposed to win that semifinals.

Dominicans and Mexicans could contend in the other semifinals and the Caribbeans stand as favorites. Therefore, the finals would be between Cuba and Dominican Republic. That match, scheduled for May 5, is likely to be very hard for both teams; but we think that Cubans can win and secure their qualification for London.

The Cubans have just wrapped up an important training stage in Peruvian heights and just won a quadrangular tournament with Dominican Republic, Chile and Peru. The match against the Dominicans could have been a trailer of the pre-Olympic finals, but they competed with an under-23 team and many of their best players were not there.

The historical background of the Cubans is much better than the Dominicans’, but what happened lately will certainly have more weight. Recent matches have been very hard-fought; so the closing clash between them may be sensational. However, I say it again, at the end of the day; the Cubans must tip the scale in their favor. By: Diego Mendez