Byline: ELVINCE JOSHUA - SPORTS AFRICA

Kenya to send five triathletes to high performance camp in Zimbabwe

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Kenya has entered seven athletes to the Africa Triathlon Cup, Junior Cup, to be staged in Troutbeck, Zimbabwe, on September 25.

The five of the seven juniors will have a rare chance to undergo high-performance training in Zimbabwe.

The a-week-long training camp that will take part at the conclusion of the point-earning championship, is sponsored by the World Triathlon (WT).

The five include Josette Njeri and Joseph Okal who are the top-ranked male and female triathletes in Kenya with 609 and 509 points respectively.

Others are Trevor Mwamisi, John Paul Makona and Joshua Okal.

The five will also have a chance to take part at the Africa Triathlon Junior Cup to be staged in Troutbeck, Zimbabwe, on September 25.

The Okal brothers (Joseph, Jesse and Joshua), are the grandchildren of legendary Kenyan runner Kipchoge Keino.

“We were given four slots (two male and two female) but because this is a self-sponsored trip, just one female (Josette) registered. But we wrote Africa Triathlon to allow us to send three males and one female and they were so kind to give us even an extra slot. Kenya actually has the biggest number of participants in Africa,” said Kenya Triathlon Federation secretary-general Salonik Ole Koyiet.

Kenya coach Alfan Mwanyika will also have the chance to attend the camp with team manager Joyceline Nyambura.

Kenya will also field two Under-23 players Soud Hassan Soud and Jesse Okal at the Africa Cup which will act as a point-earning event.

Jesse and Soud Hassan Soud is the highest-ranked U23 Athlete with 631 points.

The camp, that will run from September 26 to October 2, is fully funded by the World Triathlon (WT) though athletes will have to cater for their air travel expenses.

Meanwhile, KTF will hold a one day national trial for the Africa Duathlon Championship on Saturday, September 11.

The sprint distance (5km run, 20km bike and 2.5km run) event will be staged at the Tatu City with the top athletes earning an automatic ticket to the continental championship to be staged in Namibia, Windhoek, from October 15-17.

Under 23 athletes

Soud Hassan Soud

Jesse Okala

Junior athletes -male

Joseph Okal

John Paul Makona

Joshua Okal

Trevor Mwamisi

Junior athletes -female

Josette Njeri

Jane Wacu and Co breathe life in Kenya’s squad despite a shaky start at Tokyo Olympics

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The Kenya women’s volleyball team will step out in desperate search for a maiden victory at the Olympics when they take on the Dominican Republic on Friday.

Though they have lost all the opening two group matches, Malkia Strikers’ improved performance in Tokyo has dominated spaces in the local media.

Kenya went down by straight sets (25-15 25-11 25-23) in the opening match against host Japan at the Ariake Arena on Sunday.

The subsequent Group ‘A’ tie ended 3-0 (24-14, 25-22 and 26-24) in favour of Korea.

But while the East Africans, ranked top in the continent are still waiting for a miraculous first victory at the Summer Games, as a group, individual brilliant performances have been witnessed from the Kenyan side that is in a tough group consisting of reigning European and world champions Serbia, two-time Olympic champions Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Japan and Korea.

Serbia are also the 2016 Olympic silver medalists.

Jane Wacu

Wacu finally made it to the Olympics after four previous failed attempts.

Having played at the FIVB World Cup, World Championship and World Grand Prix, which she won in 2015, and now Olympic, Wacu will go down as one of the greatest Kenyan female volleyball players in history.

The colourful setter who is among the most experienced players in the Kenyan setup, has dazzled with individual displays, especially in the last two sets against Japan.

Interestingly, despite putting a good performance in Japan, Wacu, Kenya’s volleyball poster girl, had not played competitive volleyball since March 2019.

Wacu is based in Seychelles, a country that banned all sporting activities following the outbreak of Covid-19 almost two years ago. She plays for Anse Royale Club.

Despite having made it clear that she might hang her sneakers after Tokyo, Wacu, a career Prisons wardress back in Kenya, is having her best moments in her sunset days on the court.

Sharon Chepchumba

Blessed with physique and power, the KCB player is among the star players in the Kenyan squad.

A gamble by Italian tactician Shailen Ramdoo to move Chepchumba across the net; from her favourite left to the right, seems to have paid off if her performance in Tokyo is anything to go by.

Chepchumba played second fiddle to captain Mercy Moim, whom she had been battling for a place in the starting line up until Ramdoo, came with the magic wand.

Ramdoo, who was seconded to Kenya by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) had a short stint with the team in 2019 before he was let go following the arrival of coach Paul Bitok from Rwanda.

In the match against Japan, for example, Chepchumba scored an unprecedented 18 points, including 11 in the last set.

Leonida Kasaya

She is among the shortest players in the Kenyan squad, standing at just 168 centimeters but Kasaya has won the hearts of many for her patriotism and dedication.

If you watched her play her heart out in the defeats to Japan and Korea, you would be forgiven to think that she is among the happiest players who are enjoying the ambiance of a foreign country.

The truth of the matter is that Kasaya knows that she will head straight to her rural home when she finally jets back to Kenya to mourn her elder sister who passed away just a day before the official start of the Olympics.

“l had planned to see you when I come back home. You wished me well and instructed me to represent the country well, little did I know that those were the last word I will hear from you,” Kasaya paid tribute to her departed sister.

Kenya will take on the Dominican Republic in the third group match on Friday.

John Paul, Josette Njeri top performers at Africa Zone 2 and 4 Triathlon Championship

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John Paul and Josette Njeri anchored team Triathlon 001 to a first place finish in the mixed relay of the Africa Zone 2 and 4 Triathlon Championship in Watamu, Kilifi County, Kenya.

The duo dominated the two-day championship that kicked off with the elite and age group competition on Saturday before it concluded yesterday.

Running with the elites, John Paul and Josette won their respective age group (under-23) men and women categories, respectively. The duo also won the overall winners’ awards.

But it was the final day that they exhibited their athleticism.

Team Triathlon 001 from Mombasa County that was made up of 14-year-old Iman Kaiza, Soud Hassan, who cheated death barely two weeks ago, John Paul and Josette, the top ranked Kenyan female athlete in the junior category.

Iman had a poor start after the first round, coming last in the swim, bike and run. But her teammates made up for the lost time with both individual and team performances.

John Paul brought his team back into contention for the top medal when he caught up with the leaders to place third in the second lap before handing over to Josette.

Josette, who is set to join a medical school in South Africa later in the year, then beat Brenda Bwire for second place after a strong swim on the mid morning choppy waters at the Turtle Bay Resort beach.

She pushed her bike to the limits before catching up with the leader Vivian Hillier whom she bested in the under-23 event on Saturday.

She then handed over to Soud who is still recovering from a car accident after he was hit by a motorist during one of his cycling practice in the build up to this event.

Njeri, who started racing professionally three years ago, also has her eyes on the 2028 Olympics.

“This place is challenging. The sea here is choppy and there was a lot of head and tailwind in the cycling. It was quite an experience because this is my first competitive race since June,” added Josette who took part at the Africa Triathlon Championship in Egypt last month.

Team Multi Sport Stars that consisted of Bwire, Ted Mwatha, Deya Shah and Trevor Kasongo finished second ahead of Team MileAid (Susan Wanjala, William Nanjero, Gloria Kisiangani and Jesse Okal) that settled for third place.

Meanwhile, Hillier beat Deya Shah for the women’s age group medal while Kaiza settled for third. Joshua Okal and Mark Bifuoli took the first two positions in the men’s category.

The event was organised by the Kenya Triathlon Federation under the watchful eyes of the World Triathlon instructor Retief Freysen of South Africa.

Josette Njeri and John Paul win Africa Zone 2 and 4 Triathlon Championship

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Josette Njeri, the top ranked Kenya’s female junior triathlete, and compatriot John Paul overcame a strong challenge in the choppy waters at Watamu beach front to win the Africa Zone 2 and 4 Triathlon Championship held on Saturday.

Watamu is Kenya’s sports tourism capital, a name that it lived up to after hosting a successful double zonal continental event, a first of a kind in the country.

The event that was held at the Turtle Bay Beach Resort attracted 22 participants.

The athletes battled a tough 750m of choppy waters and strong winds on the 20km cycling section.

It’s on the run, the relatively flat route was kind to the athletes who battled to recover the lost time amidst cheers from a passionate crowd that graced the championship.

Among the participants was Soud Hassan. Just two weeks ago Soud cheated death in a grisly car accident but he still managed to grab a podium finish with a third place finish behind Paul and Joseph Okal.

Soud who is targeting a place in Team Kenya to the 2022 Commonwealth Games was hit by a car while training for the event but he never lost hope despite sustaining serious injuries on his neck and knees.

“Swimming was the biggest challenge for me because today I still have fresh wounds. I couldn’t push hard enough,” said Soud who was using the event as part of his preparation for the Commonwealth Games in 2020.

“I recently had an accident during one of the cycling races. I was thrown in the air after being hit by a car. I sustained a serious neck injury, bruises on the knees and shoulder so it wasn’t easy for me today, especially in the swim, but I’m grateful I finished the race.”

Njeri who started racing professionally three years ago has also her eyes on the 2028 Olympics.

“This place is challenging. The Sea here is choppy and there was a lot of head and tail wind while cycling. It was quite an experience because this is my first competitive race since June,” added Josette who took part at the Africa Triathlon Championship in Egypt last month.

She was followed by 15-year-old Vivian Hillier of Mombasa and Gloria Kisiangani, who was representing Nairobi, for position two and three in that order.

John Paul beat his closest challenger by almost 500m in a race where most of the participants made amends in the 5km run.

Kisumu-based Joseph Okal came second.

The event was organized by the Kenya Triathlon Federation under the watchful eyes of the World Triathlon instructor Retief Freysen of South Africa.

It’s all systems go as Kenya hosts maiden zonal Africa Triathlon Championship

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Josette Njeri and William Nanjero will be among the athletes to beat at this weekend’s Africa Zone 2 and 4 Triathlon Championship in Kenya’s coastal toen of Watamu in Kilifi County.

The event, a first of its kind to be staged in Kenya, has attracted a significant number of entries despite the travel challenges.

Charles Ndayikengurukiye, Nsabindmyi Abdallah and Dieudonne Niyonima, the Burundian trio who had to go back to Bujumbura, after they failed to get transport in Tanzania are still on the start list released by the organisers Friday.

The elite men and women’s events will officially start at 9am, followed by the family relay two hours later.

Most of these athletes have to put to test the skills picked after a two-day technical training course that was conducted by experienced World Triathlon instructor Retief Freysen.

The South African, who boasts over 50 years experience in sport and has run in 117 marathons as a fun athlete, took his students through the bicycle and route safety measure on his final training session.

The workshop was held at the Turtle Bay Beach Resort in Watamu.

This will be the first major race to be hosted in Kenya since 2019. Kenya Triathlon Federation (KTF) last held the national Duathlon championship in 2019 before Covid-19 disrupted sports in Kenya from March 2020.

Jesette who celebrated her 18th birthday last March says she will use the championship to gauge her fitness level having last taken part in a major championship in Egypt last month.

The elite men and women under -23 events will cover 750m swim, 20km cycling and 5km running. The family relay will see participants tackle 250m (swim), 3km (cycling) and 1.5km in the endurance race.

Full entry list

Charles Ndayikengurukiye (Burundi), Paul Makona, Nsabindmyi Abdallah (Burundi), Thomas Bifwoli, Dieudonne Niyonima (Burundi), Soud Hassan, Victor Telo, Ismail Hussein, Ted Mwatha, Jesse Okal, Joseph Okal, Jimmy Otieno, Trevor Kasongo, Collins Jerry, Stephen Nyoike, William Nanjero, Yvonne Muinde, Vivian Wairimu, Sussy Wanjala, Brenda Bwire, Jesette Njeri, Gloria Oduori.

Triathlon: Africa on right track, says expert

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Africa will soon join the world’s best triathlon nations, says World Triathlon Technical officer Retief Freysen.

The South African is currently in Kenya for a week-long skill-transfer assignment with the IT expert and former prison warder training new technical officials

Kenya is currently laying out a strong foundation to popularize the sport among the youth with the long-term plan to qualify athletes to the 2024 Summer Olympics.

No African country has ever won an Olympic gold in triathlon.

“Africans have the endurance gene. They can run and cycle. The only area that needs some work is swimming because not everyone can swim but I think we will soon catch up with the rest. I like what Senegal are doing,” says Freysen.

“A few years back, I would travel to some countries and people would be shocked when you mentioned triathlon, but right now more countries are starting to embrace the sport.”

Triathlon, a multi-discipline sport combining swimming, running and cycling, has for a long time been perceived as a rich man’s sport, something Kenya Triathlon Federation (KTF) wants to change

KTF president Joyceline Nyambura says the body plans to send the newly trained officials to the grassroots level where they will help the sport grow.

While Freysen agrees that the sport has a slightly higher cost implication, he debunks the notion that having the most expensive of equipment will guarantee the best results.

“Save your money,” Freysen told his students in an interactive session in Watamu, a coastal town about 560km south east of Nairobi.

“Sometimes I see people spend as much as $1000-3000 on a kid’s bike and within no time the child has outgrown the bike and you need to find a new one. What you need is a good tyre for grip,” said the tutor.

Kenya is gearing up to host her first Africa Zone 2 and 4 Triathlon Championship this coming weekend in Watamu’s Turtle Bay Resort.

Kenya’s top-ranked junior triathlete Josette Njeri is among the 30 athletes who will battle for the two zonal gongs along the sandy white beaches of Watamu.

Other local participants include Sussy Wanjala and Brenda Bwire, 19-year-old Joseph Okal and William Nanjero, all who are fresh from participating at the Africa Triathlon Championship in Egypt.

Okal is currently under the World Triathlon Development Support Programme.

Neighbouring athletes from Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo are expected in Mombasa on Friday ahead of the elite championship on Saturday.

Burundi pulled out of the event Thursday after their delegation was forced to cut off their journey. This is after the team failed to get a connecting bus in Tanzania after arriving at the border with Tanzania past midnight.

“Our team could not cross the Tanzanian border last night because it was already closed. They missed the bus to Mwanza this morning and were forced to wait until Thursday morning and even attempts to have them cross using small cars did not bear fruit. We regrettably wish to announce that they are coming back to back Bujumbura,” the Burundi Triathlon Federation said in a statement to their Kenyan counterparts.

Night travel is prohibited in Tanzania.

Other than the elite race, there will be the under-23, age groups, family and team relay events.

The elite men and women under -23 events will cover 750m swim, 20km cycling and 5km running while the family relay (250m (swim), 3km (cycling) and 1.5km will take place on Saturday.

Kenya all set to host first Africa Zone 2 and 4 Triathlon Championship

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Renowned South African World Triathlon Level 2 Technical officer Retief Freysen has challenged African athletes to “use water” as a doping substance.

“Water is the best doping medicine that you can have. You don’t have to use some funny substances to boost your performance. Just eat well, train hard and take a lot of water,” advises Freysen who is also a Doping Control Officer in his native country.

The South African who claims to have run 117 full marathons was speaking in Watamu, Kenya, where he is currently conducting a technical officials’ course and coaching workshop through the support of the World Triathlon.

A record 30 participants from four African counties are expected in the seaside town as Kenya prepares to host a first Africa Zone 2 and 4 Triathlon Championship this coming weekend.

World Triathlon Level 2 Technical officer Retief Freysen (standing) conducting a technical officials’ course and coaching workshop at Turtle Bay Resort, Watamu, Kenya, on July 15, 2021. PHOTO: SPORTS AFRICA

With Burundi out, the two-zone continental championship will now be graced by Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and host Kenya.

The event kicked off Thursday with a two-day technical officials Course that will be preceded by the main championship over the weekend; after which the coaching workshop will take place on Monday.

The courses are facilitated by Freysen.

“This is a major boost to the development of the sport of triathlon in Kenya. We have representation of County Triathlon Federations, who will transfer the knowledge back to the counties,” says Salonik Ole Koyiet, the Kenya Triathlon Federation secretary-general.

Eighteen triathlon officials from Kenya and one Ugandan are attending the course at the Turtle Bay Resort.

The Burundian delegation failed to secure a connecting bus after arriving at the border with Tanzania past midnight.

Night travel is prohibited in Tanzania.

“Our team could not cross the Tanzanian border last night because it was already closed.

“They missed the bus to Mwanza this morning and were forced to wait until Thursday morning and even attempts to have them cross using small cars did not bear fruits.

“We regrettably wish to announce that they are coming back to back Bujumbura,” the Burundi Triathlon Federation said in a statement to their Kenyan counterparts.

The main event is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday will consist of the Elites, U23, Age Groups, Family and Team Relay categories.

This championship will go a long way in not only give the Kenyan athletes the exposure and improved rankings in the WT rankings but also promote tourism through sports.

Kenya to tap into Retief Freysen expertise to spread triathlon in schools

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South African Retief Freysen will conduct a technical officials course and a coaching workshop during the Africa Zone 2 and 4 Africa Triathlon Championship set to be hosted in Kenya in July.

Kenyan Triathlon Federation (KTF), the game’s local mother body will tap into the expertise of the South African, a certified World Triathlon Level 2 Technical Official and facilitator, to popularize the sport among the primary school-going children.

Kenya is strategically positioning itself to qualify for the Summer Olympics, beyond Tokyo.

Kenya is yet to send a triathlete to the Olympics. Last June, the country missed a chance to qualify for the Tokyo Games during the African Triathlon Championship held in Egypt.

But Joyceline Nyambura, the federation’s acting president, says that she now has the secret plan to break the Olympic jinx.

“We want to promote the culture of triathlon in primary schools. We want first, to have these children to develop an interest in the sport, then grow it from there. The federation thought that it will be wise if we train these teachers who will then go back to their respective schools and pass the knowledge to these young Kenyans to take up Triathlon or Duathlon.

“We are also demystifying the notion that triathlon is a rich man’s sport. We believe that even the child of an ordinary Kenyan should have a chance to participate in the discipline and maybe one day represent Kenya at the Olympics,” added Nyambura.

The technical officials’ course will run between July 14th and 15th 2021 while the coaching ourse will be held on 19th a day after a two-day Zone 2 and 4 Africa Triathlon Championship that will run from 17-18 July at the Turtle Bay Beach Resort, Watamu, Kilifi County.

The training is sanctioned and supported by the World Triathlon (WT) through the Africa Triathlon.

Senegal, Senegal, Gambia, Cameroon, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and Zimbabwe are among the 15 African countries expected to grace the Africa championship, set to be held in Kenya for the first time.

The championship will also be open to guest athletes outside zone 2 and 4 nations.

It still remains to be seen whether Kenyan neighbours,Uganda will send an athlete after the country was put on a 42-day lockdown in a move aimed at curbing the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.

But for Kenyan athletes who have been out of activities for a long time, this will be a boost for the local participants such as 19-year-old Joseph Okal who part of Team Kenya at this year’s African Triathlon Championship held in Egypt last June.

Okal’s was on the World Triathlon Development Support programme.

“This will inevitably promote sports tourism in the country, give exposure to athletes and create an avenue for the development of sports at the community level,” said KTF secretary-general Salonik Ole Koyiet.

Triathlon is an endurance sport where athletes compete in three disciplines – swimming, cycling and running.

The KTF also runs the duathlon and aquathlon – two disciplines for talented athletes in two of the three sports disciplines.

Ferdinand Omanyala’s blistering run earns Kenya two Olympics slots in 100m

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A defiant Ferdinand Omanyala sent shock waves with a national-record-performance in a grueling battle that pushed his fiercest rival Mark Otieno to his maiden Olympic appearance during the Athletics Kenya Olympics Trials on Thursday.

The almost photo-finish race means that Omanyala and Otieno, Kenya’s fastest men, will both line up at the start line when the 2020 Summer Olympics Games kick off in Tokyo, Japan on July 23.

The historic achievement has raised some shreds of hope that the effort being put in place in developing short races might soon pay dividends as Kenya slowly punches her way up to the table of sprint giants like Jamaica, the Great Britain and the United States.

The performance was posted at the historic Kasarani Stadium, host of the 1987 All Africa Games, a venue constructed nine years before Omanyala, now 26, was born.374505

A heavily built Omanyala pierced through the cold air at Kasarani after a slow start, with Otieno just a few inches away as the duo exchanged leads for 10.02 seconds which was the official time recorded for the leader Omanyala with Otieno coming just three microseconds behind (10.05)

Indeed, that was true entertainment for fans who were kept waiting for action for close to five minutes following three fault starts before the faulty gun finally agreed to do its work.

It was also historic in that for the first time Kenya, the revered long distance giants, but sprint dwarfs, will field two athletes in the Olympic 100m distance.

The last time Kenya had fielded a participant in the distance was way back in 1992 in Barcelona, Spain. Kennedy Ondieki was the first Kenyan to take part in the 100m and 200m at the Seoul 1988 Olympics where he reached the quarterfinals (second round) in the 100m and 200 meters. He also achieved the same feat in the 200m in the subsequent Games in Barcelona races.

But since then, Kenyan has struggled in the sprints only managing to first ever Olympic appearance today.

But while the country is still celebrating the rare feat, all attention will now shift to Bunyala Road that houses Athletics Kenya (AK) headquarters.

The AK officials will have to do a lot of soul searching. Tough decisions will have to be made, if Kenya is to increase her chances of winning a first medal in 100m.

The federation finally bowed to the media pressure when they rescinded their decision that the trials will only be open to athletes with no doping history when they invited Omanyala for trials.

Omanyala was slapped with an 18-months ban for a doping offense in 2017.

But AK has insisted that any athlete who has tested positive for a prohibited substance before will not represent Kenya in any international event.

This pronouncement, which is not backed by any legislation, now leaves AK in a tricky situation especially after Omanyala hit the Olympic qualifying time.

Even before the trials, Omanyala and AK had been embroiled in a legal battle and some times war of words over this doping issue with the runner arguing that he has every right to represent his country after serving his ban.

But Riadha House has been defiant. They had even refused to recognize the 10.01 seconds he potsed at the Making of Champion (MOC) Grand Prix in Lagos, Nigeria.

This time, Kenya’s national record was marked RED by AK, heading into the trial meaning that Omanyala was among the many athletes battling for the Olympic qualifying times at the high altitude in Nairobi, a challenge that Omanyala gladly accepted and conquered.

The onus is now on AK as the country awaits the next step -whether Omanyala will team up with Otieno to push for the betterment of Ondieko’s record or whether the national athletics mother body will stick to its guns.

Kenyan indoor veteran Braxcides Agala to chase Olympic dream in Morocco

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Veteran Kenyan indoor volleyball player Braxcides Agala will have what could be a final shot at the Olympics along the nine-kilometre sandy beaches of Agadir City when Morocco host the Africa Beach Volleyball Olympic qualifiers.

Agadir, a prefecture of the Souss-Massa economic region, will stage Africa Beach Volleyball Continental Cup from June 21-28.

Agala, who was omitted from the Kenyan indoor team, that is set to depart for Japan on July 6, will be among close to 50 African players who will battle it out for the two slots reserved for Africa in Tokyo.

Agala has been an integral part of the Kenya women’s national team — the reigning African Games champions.

But the veteran centre blocker who made her national team debut in early 2000 now has a second chance to try secure her first Olympic appearance.

Olympic is perhaps the only championship that Gala, a Kenya Prisons wardress, has never taken part in close to two decades of dedicated service to her country.

The Kenyan team of eight players is scheduled to depart for Morocco on the June 18, 2021.

The team (four men and the same number of women) have been in a residential training camp in Mombasa for over two weeks in readiness for the crucial qualifying tournament.

The squad is under the tutelage of former Rwandan Beach volleyball coach Sammy Mulinge.

Kenya will be hoping to book her maiden appearance at the planetary games set to kick off on July 23.

The tournament, hosted by the Royal Moroccan Volleyball Federation, will be held in a secure bubble conforming to all Covid-19 guidelines.

Twenty-four (men) and 17 (women) national teams are expected to compete for the sole continental spot for the reschedule 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo later in the year

Kenya Full squad – Women

Braxcides Agala
Gaudencia Makhoha
Yvonne Wavinya
Phosca Kasisi

Full squad – Men

Ibrahim Oduor
James Mwaniki
Brian Melly
Enock Omogeni

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