French coach Philippe Blanc’s time with the Japanese national team has come to an end.
Blanc said goodbye on Saturday via the Japan Volleyball Association. He became the assistant coach of the Japanese men’s national team in 2017 and was promoted to head coach in 2022. His contract with Japan ended after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
“Since 2017, especially after Tokyo 2020, we have made steady progress,” said Blanc. The years 2023 and 2024 were even more special,” said Blanc, adding: ”Our partnership ends today. 파워볼게임 I will always be a fan of Japan,” he said.
He would be right. Japan’s men’s volleyball has been on a meteoric rise, shaking up the world scene. They reached the quarterfinals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Anbang for the first time in 29 years and won bronze at the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Nations League. It was their first world medal in 46 years, after winning silver at the 1977 World Cup.
It didn’t end there. In 2024, they finished runner-up in the VNL and climbed to No. 2 in the world rankings. He was top-seeded for the Paris 2024 Olympics, where he dominated. At the same time, expectations grew for the country to win its first gold medal in 52 years.
However, in Paris, she shed tears of disappointment. They lost to Germany 2-3 in their first qualifying match and struggled to reach the quarterfinals after finishing third in their group. A heartbreaking 2-0 setback ended their title challenge.
“Even if you want to win a medal in Paris, which was the highest level of competition in the history of the Olympic Games, and write a new history for Japanese volleyball, it is difficult to keep your composure under the pressure,” said Blanc. ”I am also sad that I was not able to win the only Olympic medal. I’m sad that I couldn’t fulfill Japan’s dream,” she said after the Games.
He also mentioned his quarterfinal match against Italy, which he lost in the fifth set 15-14. “In the quarterfinal match against Italy, the 2022 World Champions, Japan scored 114 total points and Italy scored 113. It was a tremendous performance for two hours and 24 minutes. It is natural to feel disappointed with this result,” he said, ”but no one can blame anyone, especially our great captain Yuki Ishikawa, who scored 32 points against Italy. We have already made Japanese volleyball history many times. I am proud of all of our players,” he added, expressing his affection for the squad.
Masashi Nambu, Chairman of the Strengthening Committee of Japan Men’s Volleyball, said, “We were hoping for at least a seventh place finish at the Tokyo Olympics, but we finished seventh at both tournaments. Nevertheless, in the three years since the Tokyo Olympics, Japan’s men’s volleyball team has become the center of attention in the world.” ”Coach Blanc has been working on the development of the Japanese national team for about eight years. He brought the team to the international level in terms of tactics and techniques. In the Paris Olympic qualifiers, they qualified for the Olympics for the first time in 16 years. In addition, Blanc has split the adult national team to thicken the player base. The development of young players will help the men’s game in the future.”
Born in 1960, Blanc is a former outside hitter. He began his coaching career in the 1991-92 season at the helm of an Italian club team. He has also coached national teams and club teams in France and Poland. After a stint with the Japanese national team, he started a new chapter in the 2024-25 season as the head coach of Hyundai Capital in the Korean V-League. In Blanc’s absence, Italian coach Fabio Storti has been in charge of the team. Blanc will arrive in the country on July 17 to join the team.