Beach V-ball: Dates set for Rio Olympic Games qualifiers

The third and final round of African qualifiers for the 2016 Olympic Games in Beach Volleyball will be held in Nigeria for the women, and the men will be in Tunisia, according to the Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB). The women’s qualifiers will run fromApril 13 to 18 whereas their male counterparts’ competition is slated forMay 2-8. Rwanda will be represented by two teams in each gender. The Rwandan teams progressed to the third qualification round after finishing among the top three at the second round qualifiers held last November in Cairo, Egypt — the women finished second behind Egypt while the men finished behind Angola. The local volleyball governing body, FRVB, has tipped Rwandan teams to shine in the continental tournament as they seek for a historic first beach volleyball ticket to the Olympic Games. The two men’s teams are comprised of Flavien Ndamukunda paired with Pierre Marshal Kwizera and as well as Olivier Ntagengwa and Patrick Kavalo. Jean Luc Ndayikengurikiye is in charge of both teams. The women’s teams include; the pair of Denise Mutatsimpundu and Charlotte Nzayisenga while Hope Musaniwabo is partnered with Dolce Muhawenimana. Both teams are coached by Christophe Mudahinyuka. In January, the four teams held a two-week residential camp in Rubavu and are set to report back for a second stint of intensive preparations in April as they bid to defy odds to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics slated for August 5-21in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Beach V-ball: Dates set for Rio Olympic Games qualifiers