Yuki Ishikawa, Yuji Nishida, and Ran Takahashi will lead Japan in the upcoming men's volleyball tournament in the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Not many changes will be made for Japan in preparation for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Following their solid campaign in the Manila Leg of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) where they have taken over as the world's no. 2 team, the Japan Volleyball Association have unveiled Ryujin Nippon's 12-man roster for the Olympics in Paris.
Leading the crowd-favorite roster is team captain Yuki Ishikawa, along with Yuji Nishida, Taishi Onodera, Akihiro Fukatsu, and Kento Miyaura.
Tatsunori Otsuka, Akihiro Yamauchi, Masahiro Sekita, and Kentaro Takahashi are also part of the lineup.
Ran Takahashi, who was ruled out for the rest of the Manila Leg due to a knee injury, is also included in the Olympics lineup as Japan expects him to make a full recovery come next month.
Rounding up the squad are Masato Kai, Tomohiro Yamamoto, and Shoma Tomita.
Middle blocker Larry Ik Evbade-Dan and libero Tomohiro Ogawa were those cut from the team for the Olympics. However, the team can have one additional alternate player registered for Paris 2024.
Japan was one of the six national teams that qualified via the FIVB Road to Paris Volleyball Qualifier, ranking second in Pool B.
For the tenth time in their illustrious history, the Japanese team is set to grace the Olympics, a momentous occasion that has only occurred three times in the past thirty years.
The Japanese made it to the semifinals in each of their first four appearances, taking bronze in Tokyo 1964, silver in Mexico City 1968, and gold in Munich 1972, in addition to ranking fourth in Montréal 1976.
Story Summary:
- Japan maintains roster stability for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 after a strong performance in the Manila Leg of Volleyball Nations League.
- Ryujin Nippon unveil a 12-man squad featuring stars Yuki Ishikawa and Yuji Nishida among others, aiming to build on their new world no. 2 ranking.
- Despite injury setbacks, Japan includes Ran Takahashi in the lineup.
[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital team. The summary was generated by AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]