Intro:

Team GB's women's volleyball team have already had to triumph over adversity in order to follow their Olympic dream.

In 2009, British Volleyball were stripped of their funding and left without a training base. But in an effort to keep playing volleyball they left their families and friends behind to travel as far and wide as California, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and Spain.

Seventeen of the squad embarked on a 500-kilometre ride to raise their profile and donations to help stay in existence.

Script:

At one point it looked like team GB wouldn't have a Volleyball team at the Olympics but after some persistence and hard work that's exactly what Great Britain has got after the British Olympic Association announced at the end of 2010 that they would allow them to compete in London.

These Volleyball players raised £250,000 in order to continue playing the sport they love and have the chance to represent their country after UK Sport refused to fund them.

One of the players, Maria Bertelli realises the team have come through some tough times.

SOUNDBITE: (English) SUPER CAPTION: Maria Bertelli

"Some difficult decisions had to be made by British Volleyball following UK Sport funding being reduced. That did make it a very difficult time for us as a squad. We had to make the decision whether we continued without the government support, and every single player decided that they wanted to continue this journey, and that they were prepared to sacrifice everything to try and get to the Games themselves, but more than that to try to give a good, credible performance and then to change the sport in the country."

Worldwide, volleyball is hugely popular.

The sport's governing body, the FIVB, claims that with 220 affiliated countries it is the largest international sporting federation in the world.