Malkia skipper Moim unperturbed despite Brazil trip miss

Chief writervolleyball

National women’s volleyball team captain Mercy Moim has urged the squad to remain focused despite the cancellation of their trip to train in Brazil.

Malkia Strikers were scheduled to have a high-performance training camp in Sao Paulo, for a period of six weeks, but the Government cancelled the trip citing the alarming Covid-19 situation in Brazil.

Moim, who will lead the team back to the Olympic Games after a 16-year hiatus, says the recent setback will not take them off rails.

“We would’ve gained a lot in Brazil but that is water under the bridge… I remain focused and so is the squad,” she told Citizen Digital.

The nine-time African champions’ skipper however urged the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) and the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) to look for another alternative to help the team fine-tune their skills before jetting out for July 23 to August 8 Games.

This comes after officials in Turkey cancelled the team’s plans to train in the Southeast Europe nation due to Covid-19 challenges.

“We thank NOCK and KVF for ensuring we train under a safe environment but I urge them to look for another alternative because the Brazil and Turkey plans seem to have hit a snag. It will help us hit top form before finally leaving for Brazil,” she added.

Malkia Strikers are currently training at Kasarani under a bio-secure bubble ahead of the Summer Games where they are scheduled to open their campaign with hosts Japan on July 26. They will subsequently play Korea, Serbia and Dominican Republic in Pool ‘A’ fixtures.