For men, Egypt withdrew briefly because of a boycott . The remaining nine teams were drawn into a group of five and four. The preliminary round was held according to the "everyone against everyone" mode. The two best teams in each group met each other in the semi-finals. The remaining teams played from places five to eight.
For women there were two groups with four participants each. The two best teams in each group met each other in the semi-finals. The remaining teams played from places five to eight.
The games were played in Montreal from July 18-30.
Schedule men
Preliminary round
Poland remained unbeaten in Group A. Against the table runner-up Cuba, the Eastern Europeans prevailed in a direct duel with 20:18 in the tie-break. Group B was dominated by the Soviet Union, which did not make a set in three games. Two wins were enough for Japan to reach the semi-finals.
In the semi-finals on July 29th, Poland beat Japan in five sets. The Soviet Union had fewer problems against Cuba. The team from the Caribbean then won the bronze medal. In the final on July 30th, Poland defeated the Soviet selection despite two deficits and secured the gold medal.
In Group A, Japan dominated without losing a set. Hungary was the second semi-finalist with two wins. In Group B, the women of the GDR lost their first game against Cuba. Against South Korea and the Soviet Union, they each reached the tiebreak, but also remained without a win. The Soviet selection finally secured first place ahead of the Asians.
After a win in five sets against Peru and a defeat against Cuba, the GDR took sixth place.
In the semifinals on July 29, the Soviet Union prevailed just as clearly against Hungary as Japan did in the Asian duel against South Korea. The Koreans then took bronze. In the new edition of the 1972 Olympic final, the Japanese triumphed over the Soviet women in three sets and were able to impressively return the favor for the final defeat four years ago.
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Soviet Union
Cuba
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Poland
Japan
South Korea
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Brazil
Czechoslovakia
Italy
Hungary
Canada
GDR
Peru
