Group D:Rwanda, Brazil, Spain and Germany

Rwanda women’s beach volleyball team has been drawn in Group D at the upcoming 2019 FIVB World Beach Volleyball Championships in Hamburg, Germany.

The world’s biggest beach volleyball meet runs from June 28 through July 7.

The sensational duo of Charlotte Nzayisenga and Benitha Mukandayisenga, who qualified for the world championships after finishing third at the African championships in April, in Nigeria, share the group with heavyweights Germany, Brazil and Spain.

Germany are the defending champions, having beaten the United States to clinch the title in 2017, while Brazil claimed the bronze medal with a win over Canada in the third-place playoff.

According to Adlbert Mfashimana, the Secretary General of the local volleyball governing body (FRVB), the duo, under Kenyan tactician Paul Bitok, will begin intensive preparations only ten days prior to their trip to Germany.

"We have been placed a group of death,” said Mfashimana.

He further noted: "Drawing Germany and Brazil in our group makes our aspirations to reach the knock-out stages very tough, but we trust our ladies will do all they can.”

In the meantime, their counterparts; Olivier Ntagengwa and Patrick Kavalo Akumuntu are yet to know who their group opponents will be in the men’s beach volleyball world championships.

It is for the first time that Rwanda has qualified both men and women’s teams to the biennial world championships.

At the event’s 2017 edition in Vienna, Austria, Rwanda was only represented in the women’s competition.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com