Visa hitches delay Malkia Strikers' departure to Morocco
Some of the players named in the women's national volleyball team provisional squad for the Nations Challenger Cup and Africa Cup of Nations pose for a photo with Kenya Volleyball Federation officials and coach Paul Bitok (standing third right) at Riadha House on May 31, 2023.
What you need to know:
- Speaking during a press briefing at the Nyayo National Stadium on Monday, Malkia Strikers assistant coach Paul Bitok said they have to hit the ground running as they wait for visa clearance.
- "Time is not on our side and if we sit back and wait until we are cleared to travel to France, then we would have lost alot. We will start training tomorrow at Nyayo and hope that our Visas will come through. It's good and safe if we get our France Visas when we are still in Kenya than when we are away in Morocco and that's why we are still here," said Bitok.
Malkia Strikers have began non-residential training at the Nyayo National Stadium indoor arena after visa hitches delayed their travel to Morocco.
The team was scheduled to have begun High Performance Training in Morocco last week, but visa challenges have derailed their travel plans.
International Volleyball Federation Board (FIVB), who are sponsoring the team's air tickets to Morocco, France and Cameroon, will also support the training camp in Morocco for a month.
The team is preparing for the FIVB Nations Challenger Cup set for July 27-30 in France and the African Nations Championship in Cameroon from August 6-18.
Speaking during a press briefing at the Nyayo National Stadium on Monday, Malkia Strikers assistant coach Paul Bitok said they have to hit the ground running as they wait for visa clearance.
"Time is not on our side and if we sit back and wait until we are cleared to travel to France, then we would have lost alot. We will start training tomorrow at Nyayo and hope that our Visas will come through. It's good and safe if we get our France Visas when we are still in Kenya than when we are away in Morocco and that's why we are still here," said Bitok.
"We hope that the government will hasten the process so that we can travel to Morocco to start the FIVB program. I also want to laud the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) who are supporting the team during their training sessions here and also a training camp in Miramas in France," he added.
NOC-K Secretary General Francis Mutuku said they remain committed to the course of ensuring the team qualifies for 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
"We are part and parcel of this team and we are keen to offer them the support. The team participated in the delayed 2020 Tokyo Games and we want them to compete at the Paris Games. They have capability and chance and we will be fully behind them," said Mutuku.
Kenya Volleyball Federation acting chairman Charles Nyaberi said team's participation in the Challenge cup would earn them points that will be helpful in the road to Paris qualification.
"FIVB were to sponsor the team for one and half month training in Morocco but now it has come down to one month due to visa hitch. But that said, we are appealing to the government that in it's own way they help hasten the process. The players are ready for the assignments ahead and I want to wish them well," said Bitok.
The provisional squad of 20 players will begin training tomorrow at Nyayo before the team will be whittled down to 16 players who will travel to the North African country.
