National sitting volleyball trials set for Machakos

A total 17 counties have already confirmed they will send teams to Machakos for the National Trials of the sitting volleyball from August 9 to 12.

The counties include Bungoma, Busia, Kisumu, Siaya, Migori, Vihiga, Trans Nzioa, Mombasa, Meru, Nyeri, Nakuru, Nairobi, Machakos, Makueni, Isiolo, Kitui and Uasin Gishu.

The Kenya Sitting Volleyball Federation (KSVF) will then select a team to that will help secure a maiden qualification to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

“The trials will be on merit and that is why we have approached Kenya Volleyball Federation KVF to chip in and provide a panel of four coaches to assist in selecting a provisional squad of 18 players,” KSVF chairman Polycarp Mboya said.

According to Mboya, the  selected provisional squad will have a one day of rest before proceeding to non-residential training at either the Moi Stadium Indoor Arena in Kasarani or the Aga Khan facility in Mombasa.

Kenyan team lost a chance to be part of 2016 Rio Olympics after being dashed out by Rwanda and eventual group winners Egypt during the 2015 qualifiers.

The teams will be seeking to grab the two slots for both genders in the coming Africa Paralympics Volley championship-cum Olympic qualifiers in Rwanda slated for September 13 to 23.

Kenyan team will be up against seven nations including hosts Rwanda, Egypt, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Morocco and Algeria.

Sitting volleyball, which is played by disabled players in a sitting position, is one of the evolving sports in Kenya, but its spread is disadvantaged by a lack of infrastructure and poor funding.

The decision by KSVF to have the national trials outside Nairobi is for the sport to be embraced at the grassroots level and again growth.