It has been 15 years since the national women’s volleyball team qualified for the Olympics, and time is now ripe for Kenya to return to that prestigious global stage.
The national team that will compete in the qualifiers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Uganda from May 18 has been named, and one hopes that the Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) will put do everything to ensure that Kenya returns to the global stage this time.
The Malkia Strikers’ performance in the last five years has regressed terribly both at the club and national levels, but this month’s qualifiers present a good opportunity for the Kenyan team to rectify this.
Newbies Cameroon, who won their very first African women’s title in 2017, have been on an upward trajectory in the last five years, while Kenya appears to have stagnated in performance at the national and club levels.
Cameroon qualified for the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics at the expense of Kenya.
Cameroon also beat Kenya 3-0 to win the Africa Volleyball Championships in 2017. Kenyan women teams have also lost their grip on the club championships. They are yet to win since Kenya Prisons in 2013.
It is highly commendable that the KVF has brought in 52-year-old Europe-based coach Shaileen Ramdoo, who is a certified international volleyball trainer with an FIVB Level 2 and 3 course certificate alongside a UK National Sports Coaching badge. That is a short-term goal.
The KVF needs to come up with defined structures that will not only help identify talent across the country, but also mould the game across all the levels to senior teams.
One hopes that the Sports ministry will this time support the team financially in the build-up of the continental duel so that the players can be well motivated to qualify for next year’s Olympics competition.
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