Malkia Strikers set for three-month camp in Brazil

The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) will offer technical assistance to the national women’s volleyball team, Malkia Strikers, ahead of World Championships as part of its Volleyball Empowerment Programme.

The World Championships is scheduled for September 23 to October 15 in Netherlands and Poland. Kenya will represent Africa alongside continental champions Cameroon.

This will be the second time FIVB will be helping Kenya prepare for a global competition after forwarding four Brazilian coaches to the national team during preparations for the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games last year.

And Malkia Strikers will train in Brazil from June 15 to September 15 this year as part of their preparations for the World Championships. Osasco Volleyball Club will host the national team at their base in Sau Paulo.  

“FIVB is pleased to confirm that it is working with the Brazilian Women’s club –Osasco Voleibol Club to host a high-performance training camp with world class facilities and resources as part of the Kenya Teams’ intensive preparation for the FIVB Women’s Volleyball Championship 2022 at the club’s facility from 15th June to 15th September 2022 in Sau Paulo, Brazil,” read a letter signed by Steve Tutton from FIVB’s Technical and Development department.

Kenya Volleyball Federation President Waithaka Kioni was happy with the development adding that FIVB has also requested government and National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) to chip in since the programmme also covers preparations for Paris 2024 Olympic Games by extension.

“FIVB has expressed the intention to partner with us and it’s important to note that Kenya is the only team in Africa receiving this support. The intended camp in Brazil before the (Tokyo) Olympics didn’t take place due to Covid-19 but FIVB noted the impressive performance of the team in Tokyo after only six weeks of high-performance training,” Kioni told Nation Sport.

“We are optimistic that government and NOC-K will support us once again just like they did during preparations for Tokyo Olympics. This is a roadmap to Paris 2024 and FIVB has shown commitment to walk with us through this journey,” added Kioni who doubles as NOC-K Second Vice President.

Last year, FIVB forwarded four Brazilian coaches to the team namely: Luizomar de Moura (head coach), Jefferson Arosti (assistant coach), Marcelo Vitorino de Souza (Strength and Conditioning Trainer) and Roberto Opice Neto (Team Manager). Malkia Strikers head coach Paul Bitok, who worked closely with the four coaches in the run-up to the Olympics, is confident that Kenya can qualify for the second round at the World Championships. Kenya is in Pool ‘A’ alongside hosts Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Puerto Rico, and Cameroon.

“There are some facilities that we lacked last time but now we will have the opportunity to use them when camping in Brazil. The length preparations also gives us a chance to play friendly matches with clubs in Brazil. This is the best preparations the national team has had in a long time and the second round is now a realistic target,” said Bitok.

Bitok is further encouraged by the timing of the camp, coming soon after the Africa Women’s Club Championships which will conclude on June 1 in Tunisia

“A good number of national team players will be representing their clubs at the Club Championships which put us at an advantage. They will play many matches in Tunisia which means they will be in competition shape by the time they report to camp in Brazil,” observed Bitok.

FIVB’s revolutionary new Volleyball Empowerment programme, which was revealed during the 37th FIVB World Congress, aims to improve the performance of national teams around the world and provide support which is open to all 222 National Federations.

Part of the programme targets high-level national team performance and empowers these teams with the human and technical resources needed to unlock their full potential. Resources include coaches, trainers, managers, physiotherapists and data analysts.