On Thursday, the Kenya women’s volleyball team, Malkia Strikers, ended a 16-year wait to qualify for the Olympic Games after the team beat Nigeria to take the single slot reserved for Africa at the quadrennial games.
Kenya last competed at the Olympics in 2004 when the games were held in Athens. Previously, Kenya also qualified for the 2000 Games in Sydney.
But Kenya’s triumph over Egypt and Cameroon, which held training camps in Brazil and Poland respectively, speaks volumes about the quality of talent in the sport locally.
However, a tougher test awaits Kenya in Tokyo. The Olympic Games are very competitive and talent alone cannot win matches.
For the team to compete effectively at the biggest stage of volleyball in the world, the government and the National Olympics Committee of Kenya must ensure the team prepares adequately, and that it is well motivated.
For qualifying alone, the government should appreciate the nine-time African champions in a befitting manner.
Second, the team’s preparation for the Olympics should include a training camp abroad, with friendly matches against opponents ranked higher than Kenya.
Kenya can borrow a leaf from Cameroon, which promised to reward each member of the team and coaches with at least Sh4.5 million in bonuses alone.
The volleyball team deserves proper preparation for the Olympics, the same way the government provided Sh244 million to fund the national football team’s training in France in preparation for 2019 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
And so do the Kenya Sevens men and women teams, which have also qualified for the Olympics.
Credit: Source link