Sudanese sides for Amaco volleyball tourney

Rembo men and women teams from South Sudan will debut at this year’s Amaco International Volleyball Championship starting Friday at the Eldoret Polytechnic grounds.

And the annual tourney that has attracted close to 50 teams on Monday got a major boost when Amaco Assurance Company Limited ploughed in Sh9 million.

Making the announcement while presenting the sponsorship cheque to the organisers at a Nairobi hotel, Amaco Chief Executive Officer, Elizabeth Koskei said Rembo teams are among six foreign teams expected for the 12th edition of the event.

Besides Rembo teams, Espoir women’s team from Uganda will also make their first appearance in the three-day championships that has seen the prize money increased from Sh 450,000m to Sh 600,000 this year.

The sponsorship package had also been improved from Sh 5.5 million last year.

Kampala Amateur Volleyball Club (KAVC) women’s team and Sky men’s team from Uganda make a return alongside Tanzania’s Faru men’s team.

The foreign teams will battle in men and women’s Series “A” that will involve hosts national league sides that comprises of defending champions General Service Unit men) and Kenya Prisons (women).

Series “B” will comprise Division II teams, while self-sponsored teams will compete in their own category besides the schools championships.

Koskei said they are determined to make the event grow to a fully-fledged international competition with improved prize fund in future.

The event’s other partners are New KCC, Mediheal, Reale Hospital, Paul Bitok Foundation and Uasin Gishu County Government.

“We might have increased the prize fund this year but that is not where we want the event to be in terms of incentives to teams,” said Koskei.

“We shall improve the package next year with the possibilities of shifting the venue to a better place hence we want more partners on board”

Also present during the launch was Kenya Volleyball, Federation (KVF) president, Waithaka Kioni and Chief Administrative Secretary at the Sports ministry Hassan Noor Hassan.

Kioni thanked Amaco and called on other corporates to come on board and help nurture volleyball talent.

Kioni singled out former international Paul Bitok, who is now the Rwanda national teams head coach and Europe-based international Philip Maiyo as some of the players, who were nurtured at the Amaco tourney.

Kioni appealed to the government for support since the country has been picked to host the Africa Under-20 Championships from August 17 to 24 this year.

However, Kioni said they have written to the Confederation of Africa Volleyball (CAVB) to push the event forward since it will coincide with the East Africa Secondary School Games which run from August 14 to 25 in Rwanda, where most of the Under-20 players will be taking part.

Kenya also intends to send the national women’s team, Malkia Strikers for the World Championships due September 29 to October 20 in Japan.

Hassan noted that sports is not taken highly in Kenya, what with sports budgetary allocation having been slashed drastically.

“As a government, we need to change if Kenya is to be taken seriously as a sporting destination and tourism hub,” said Hassan.