African Qualifiers 2013

• Uganda: Rio 2016 Qualifiers in Balance BY NORMAN KATENDE, 28 OCTOBER 2013
• Another piece on the cancelled/postponed games. BY NORMAN KATENDE, 28 OCTOBER 2013

• Uganda cancels African women’s Sitting Volleyball World Championship qualifying tournament By Emily Goddard. Wednesday, 30 October 2013
• Rwanda: Africa Women Sitball Qualifiers Postponed BY BONNIE MUGABE, 30 OCTOBER 2013

The 2013 women Sitball Volleyball World Championship Qualifiers have been postponed indefinitely after would be hosts Uganda failed to raise funds to organise the tournament in Kampala.

Rwanda National Paralympic Committee (NPC) boss Celestin Nzeyimana confirmed the development to Times Sport yesterday, saying, “Uganda ruled out hosting the event on the last minute.”

“They failed to secure sponsorship on time yet they meant to at least have two main courts to host the qualifiers,” added Nzeyimana, whose body he leads is fresh from host the fourth Sitball Men’s World Championships last month which was won by Germany after beating the hosts 49-47 in the final.

According to a letter from the World Para volleyball Sports director Denis Le Breuilly, sent to various sports administrators, the cancellation of the event which had been set for November 4-11 at Lugogo will mean that no African women team will make it to the Paralympic Games.

Eight countries had already confirmed participation in the qualifiers. Sitball is volleyball for the physically disabled and is one of the disciplines hosted in the Paralympic Games.

“I was given assurance that the first para volleyball women championships will receive the support from the government and other organisations. On that basis, the event was awarded to Uganda and duly publicised worldwide,” said Breuilly in a letter sent to Uganda’s State Sports Minister Charles Bakkabulindi.

“At this stage we have no officials to run the event, no equipment and a stadium that has received no attention. Needless to say, I am not impressed as I have put in months of work advising and planning,” Breuilly said.

What Uganda failed to do?

Uganda was meant to pay for flights, accommodation and allowances for international officials, purchase one international court and one training court including freight charges and taxes as well as increases the MTN Arena lighting to meet international standards.

Ray of hope:

Nzeyimana confirmed that the world body is planning to seek another host with Egypt or Rwanda likely to host the African qualifiers in April next year ahead of the World Championships due in Poland in June.

Friendly match:

Rwanda women’s sitting volleyball team which has been training for the last two months, is expected to play four matches against Uganda.

The provisional team:

Liliane Mukobwankabo, Claudine Bazubagira, Nikuze Zaninka, Solange Mukasanga, Yvonne Imanishimwe, Sandra Mbarushimana, Agnes Nshimiyimana, Claudine Murebwayire, Providence Musabyemariya, Egidia Nirere ndetse and Alice Musabyemariya.

• Rwanda: Women’s Team Hosts Uganda in Women Sitball Friendlies BY RICHARD BISHUMBA, 2 NOVEMBER 2013

RWANDA women’s sitting volleyball team is set to play two friendly matches against neighbours Uganda this weekend, the National Paralympic Committee-Rwanda president Celestin Nizeyimana has confirmed.

The Ugandan side, which arrives in Kigali this morning, will go straight into the first game before winding up their first ever tour of Rwanda tomorrow with the second match, both will be played at NPC gymnasium at Amahoro national stadium.

The team is under coaching of Dutchman Peter Karemann. Rwanda team will be playing their first ever competitive match and according to Nizeyimana, the choice of playing against Uganda was a simple one, “It’s not very expensive to host Uganda here for our first international matches than any other team.”

Both teams will be using these friendlies as part of their preparations for the African Championships, which also doubles as the qualifier for the 2014 World Championships.

The African Championships were supposed to be held in Kampala later this month but the hosts failed to get sponsorship on time hence forcing the world governing body to call it off indefinitely.

 Saturday

Rwanda vs Uganda

Sunday

Rwanda vs Uganda

• Rwanda Could Consider Hosting Africa Women Sitball Tourney BY RICHARD BISHUMBA, 8 NOVEMBER 2013
• Rwanda to Host Women Sitting V-Ball World Qualifiers BY RICHARD BISHUMBA, 29 NOVEMBER 2013

Rwanda has been endorsed by the International Sitting Volleyball Federation to host the African women’s qualifiers for the World Championships set for next year in Poland. The qualifiers tournament is scheduled for February 2014 in Kigali, Rwanda.

These qualifiers’ competitions were initially supposed to be held in Kampala, Uganda but the host failed to organise the meet after failing to get sponsors on time. Rwanda beat Egypt which had also expressed interest to host the qualifiers.

“We are happy to be chosen as hosts of the tournament, it is advantageous for our team as we will be playing in front of our fans,” Elie Manirarora, team coach and National Paralympic Committee (NPC) official told Times Sport yesterday.

Egypt, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, Burundi and hosts Rwanda are the six nations set to contest for the single slot.

The detailed programme of the competitions is yet to be fixed according to NPC officials. The tournament will be hosted at the Amahoro NPC gymnasium.

• Sitting Volleyball Challenges. Citizen News Video News. 23 January 2014
• Rwanda: Sitting Volleyball Teams Eye Slots At 2014 World Championships BY RICHARD BISHUMBA, 30 JANUARY 2014

RWANDA NATIONAL sitting volleyball teams (men and women) are targeting qualification for the 2014 World Championships to be held in Poland. Africa will be represented by one team in the women’s category and two in the men’s.

Men’s qualifiers tournament will be hosted by Morocco towards the end of next month, while the women’s will be staged in Kigali in March .

Women’s qualifiers were initially meant to be held in Kampala, Uganda in November last year, were called off at the last minute after organisers reportedly failed to secure sponsorship.

The Men’s team has already started preparations in two separate groups; the group for student-players is training in Huye District under coach Eric Gakwaya, while the other group is training at NPC Gymnasium under head coach Jean Marie Nsengiyumva.

“We need both our teams (men and women) to qualify for the World Cup finals and are doing everything possible to achieve our goal,” National Paralympic Committee (NPC) boss Celestin Nzeyimana told Times Sport on Wednesday.

• Rwanda Pulls Out of 2014 Sitball World Cup Qualifiers BY RICHARD BISHUMBA, 7 MARCH 2014

RWANDA national sitting volleyball teams (men and women) will not participate in qualifiers of the 2014 World Championships to be held later this year in Poland.

As a result, Africa will not have a single women’s team following the cancelation of the would-be qualifying tournament on two occasions, first by Uganda and then Rwanda, all due to lack of funds to organise the event.

For the men’s team, the Rwandan team will not grace the qualifying tournament which will be staged next month in Morocco because the country will be commemorating the 20th anniversary of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi.

Normally, all sports and entertainment actives are put on hold during the Genocide commemoration week.

The National Paralympics Committee boss Celestin Nzeyimana said, “We have given up on competing at this year’s Sitball World Championships. Our focus now turns to the qualifiers for the 2016 Paralympics Games in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), which start early next year.”

Rwanda hosted last year’s World Championships for Men and finished second behind Germany.

• Kenya’s sitting volleyball team off to African qualifiers in Morocco – See more BY MUIGAI KIGURU 9 April 2014

National men’s sitting volleyball team has exuded confidence ahead of the African World Championships qualifiers that will be held in Morocco from today through Sunday.

The team of 12 left over the weekend for Morocco, where they will be fighting for the lone continental slot to the world championships set for Poland between June 7 and 15.

Kenya failed to attend the worlds despite winning the continental spot in 2010 and 2011 due to lack of funds. However, Kenya National Paralympic Committee chairperson, Agnes Oluoch, believes the tide is changing and she is certain they will be in Poland if they go through the qualifiers.

“The government has taken charge of the team unlike the previous editions where the team depended only on well wishers for financial support,” said Oluoch.

She said the government has already paid the teams allowances in addition to their return air tickets to Morocco to the tune of Sh6.4million.

National Sport Institute director, Joseph Kirima, expressed the government’s commitment to support the team now and in the future.

“We urge you to work hard in Morocco and bring the medals and ticket home. The government is ready to reward the medallists as per the set national award scheme,” Kirima told the players before their departure. The team is under veteran volleyball coach Joseph Juma Walukhu who said they are well prepared for the task ahead.

Kenya are in the group of death alongside Uganda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 11 country tournament. “We are leaving nothing to chance. Rwanda are our greatest threat but I believe we have enough arsenal to contain them,” said Walukhu.

Squad: Caleb Odiyo, Itaken Timoi, Dennis Muga, Anthony Imanyara, Paul Muriuki, Tobias Otieno, Samson Njoroge, Wilson Osumba, Polycarp Mboya, Vitalis Omondi Owako, Andrew Omwendo and James Mang’erere.

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• Sitting Volleyball: Ranked third in the championship of Africa The Algeria qualifies for World in 2014 15 April 2014 (in French). Read more
• Tanzania excel at East AFrican Cup 30 June 2014