TOURNEY PUT OFF: KVF says Kenya has no facilities to host 12-team competition

Kenya has withdrawn its bid to host this year’s Women’s Africa Volleyball Club Championships due to lack of facilities, the Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) has announced.

This comes barely a week after the national women’s team pulled out of the upcoming intercontinental Olympics qualifiers, with the federation citing lack of resources to facilitate the team.

The Men’s national team also failed to grace the African Olympics qualifiers early in the year in Congo Brazzaville due to lack of money.

Malkia lost a direct ticket to Rio after finishing third in the African Olympic qualifiers in Cameroon where the hosts beat Egypt to book a ticket to the Summer Games.

Kenya were to host the annual continental competition in April, but will now be held in Tunisia.

FIVB rules say a tourney of more than 12 teams can only be held in, at least, two international venues. Kasarani Indoors Arena is the only venue of such standard in Kenya.

KVF president Waithaka Kioni said the country does not have the capacity to stage the tournament that has already attracted 16 clubs across Africa.

“It is unfortunate that we have lost the hosting rights due to lack of standard arenas. The last time we hosted the event, we used Kasarani and Nazarene University but as for now it is only Kasarani that meets the requirements,” said Kioni. “The event has gone to Tunisia. It is a big blow to the country, but the truth is we don’t have the facilities to host over 16 teams,” he said.

Kenya was to be represented by three teams -- last year’s losing finalists, Pipeline, who are also the national champions, four times winners Prisons and last year’s league third-placed Kenya Commercial Bank.

On Malkia Strikers’ withdrawal from the Olympics qualifiers slated for May in Puerto Rico, Kioni said: “We have what it takes to compete against those teams in Puerto Rico, but unfortunately we don’t have the resources to send our team there.”