Why Canada could have a record number of teams at the Tokyo Olympics

With 8 Canadian squads already having confirmed a place at the Tokyo Olympics, 4 more teams still have a chance. The men’s team that is assured of representation are the Rugby Sevens, volleyball, and field hockey. The women’s qualified team are the rugby sevens, basketball, soccer, softball, and water polo. Only one more team is needed to qualify to match the national record for team-representation in a single summer Olympics set during the Montreal Olympics in 1976. If you fancy your chances of whether the Canadian Olympics teams will break the record, you can watch out for betting events at bookie sites such as  Comeon and others on offer. Here is what the remaining teams need to do to make sure they are on the Tokyo Olympics flight.

Men’s Soccer

While the women’s soccer team will be looking forward to adding to their podium finish for the 3rd consecutive time, the men’s team last appeared in 1976 as hosts and in 1984. There are already 14 confirmed spots, with the remaining 2 to be decided from the CONCACAF region. The 8 team qualifying tournament will run from 18-30 March in Mexico. The teams will be divided into two groups, with the top 2 from each group meeting in the semis. The teams that advance will get the Olympic slot. While Canada is not in the group containing the USA or Mexico, it will need to beat either of them if it advances in its group, which contains Haiti, El Salvador and Honduras.

Men’s Basketball

Canada will have the last chance to qualify in a tournament featuring six teams in Victoria between June 29 – July 4. Its round-robin playgroup consists of China and Greece, with the other group consisting of Turkey, Uruguay, and the Czech Republic. The top two teams will face off in the semi-finals, with the winner qualifying for the Olympics. An advantage Canada has is that it will be playing at home soil and boasts of many proven NBA players compared to its opponents.

Men’s 3-on-3 basketball

This will be the first time this version of basketball will be included in an Olympic. There are still 3 spots to be decided between 20 teams in Austria between May 26-30. Canada, which is ranked 8th, is in a group containing Latvia (5th), Netherlands (6th), Croatia (23rd) and Austria (46th). The top two will qualify, while a playoff will be held by the losers in the semi-finals, with the winner also booking a spot.

Baseball

Canada will have a chance to qualify when they face off in a six-team Olympic tournament in the Americas region. It will face off strong competition from the U.S.A, Dominican Republic, and Cuba. Only the winner will qualify for the Olympics. However, Canada can still keep its hope of qualifying should they finish second or third. This is because they will have the last chance against the Netherlands, China, Taiwan and Australia.