The national women’s volleyball team, Malkia Strikers, could qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics as early as September, thanks to their high world ranking.
The defending champions only need to reach the finals of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, also known as the Women’s African Volleyball Championship, to realise their dream of participating in the Olympics for the fifth time.
The 22nd edition of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations is scheduled to take place from August 23 to September 5 at the Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani, Nairobi.
Winning the event or reaching its final will see Malkia Strikers collect maximum points, consolidating their world ranking and qualifying them as the highest-ranked team from Africa.
The Malkia Strikers’ quest for the Olympics received a boost when they secured a US$100,000 (Sh13 million) scholarship from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Solidarity Fund, which is expected to aid their preparations.
Kenya rose to 19th place in the world rankings last year and is currently the highest-ranked African team in 21st place with 158.49 points. They are followed by Cameroon in 45th place with 76.72 points and Egypt in 63rd place with 46.09 points.
If Kenya reaches the final, a place at the 2028 LA Olympics will be secured, since either Cameroon or Egypt would need to win the 2027 FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Championship, which carries significant points, to qualify.
“That is why the scholarship from IOC Solidarity Fund is timely, as it eases our burden in many ways. It’s easy for us to use the world ranking,” said Paul Bitok, first deputy president of the Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF).
Bitok received the scholarship from John Ogolla, the secretary-general of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K), at the Nyayo National Stadium, where the team trains.
“This sponsorship is one of the things we have yearned for from either the IOC, the government, or any private institution for years. NOC-K has come at just the right time, as we need to earn good points in order to qualify for the Olympics,” said Bitok, adding that they are looking to earn less than 650 points.
The Malkia Strikers are the most successful team in the history of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, having won the title ten times, including in 2015 when Nairobi hosted the event for the fifth and final time.
The team has qualified for the Olympic Games in Sydney (2000), Athens (2004), Tokyo (2020) and Paris (2024). “The scholarship will enable us to prepare well. We have held discussions with the coaches about the team’s training schedule until the continental championship,” said Bitok.
Malkia Strikers won all the titles when Kenya hosted, except in 2003 when Egypt reigned supreme. Bitok said it would be beneficial for them to train outside Kenya ahead of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, preferably in Serbia and Cuba.
Malkia Strikers coach Geoffrey Omondi said good performances are spurred by good preparation, and that the support from NOC-K will enable them to prepare more thoroughly.
“This is a big deal that has enabled us to devise a plan for the LA Olympics,” he said, adding that their aim is to reach the semi-finals in 2028.
He noted that he had seen many opportunities and possibilities during their World Championships in Thailand last year.
“We only limit ourselves in our minds. When we inject speed and accuracy into our training, we can reach the semi-finals of any major event,” he said, explaining that the number of matches they played before and during the World Championships in August last year gave them hope.
“These countries aren’t doing anything extraordinary; they’re just playing basic volleyball and perfecting skills like ball control,” said Omondi, who also stated that hosting the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations comes with advantages but also with a lot of pressure. “It won’t be easy, but it’s achievable if we play quality training matches against teams who can beat us.”
Meanwhile, Ogolla said that Malkia Strikers received support due to their world ranking and the possibility of qualifying for the LA Olympics in 2028.
