Early competitions good for Malkia Strikers’ busy year
Kenya players celebrate a point during their FIVB World Championships Pool A match against Puerto Rico at Gelredome arena in Arnhem, Netherlands on October 01, 2022.
What you need to know:
- And with the foreign-based legion of Sharon Chepchumba (Aris, Greece), Veronica Adhiambo (Tarsus, Turkey), Noel Murambi (Lemesos, Cyprus) and Violet Makuto (Al Wasl, UAE) all enjoying rich form at their new work stations, one can’t be blamed for dreaming big.
It’s been a while since I wrote this column; the Fifa World Cup, festive season and Pele's burial all responsible for reduced space on the newspaper but finally, here we are!
Allow me to use the cliche salutation of ‘Happy New Year’ despite today being a whole 12 days into the New Year. On a sporting front, 2023 has started well with a global federation president Sebastian Coe having visited the house on the hill to discuss among other things Kenya’s athletics future in light of a spike in doping offenders.
Indeed, it promises to be a great year for Kenyan sport with various national teams set to represent the country in international competitions notably World Athletics Championships, World Cross Country Championships, Olympic qualifiers, World Cup and African Games.
Closer to my heart is volleyball of course. The national women volleyball team will have a busy calendar with African Games, Africa Nations Championship, Paris Olympics qualifiers, FIVB Challenger Cup and the World Cup all on the plate.
Malkia Strikers, currently ranked top of Africa, will continue enjoying world-class technical support from FIVB courtesy of the Empowerment Programme with qualifying for Paris 2024 Olympic Games a top priority.
And it’s good riddance that the KVF National League play-offs set for next week have already set the ball rolling for the girls as the top four clubs battle it out for glory at Kasarani.
This year has been earmarked as Malkia Strikers’ perfect opportunity to get their breakthrough at the global stage and getting into competition shape early in the year can only serve to improve their chances.
After finishing 19th out of 24 at the World Championships last year, the global volleyball fraternity will have high expectations from Kenya.
Reclaiming the Africa Nations title from bitter rivals Cameroon will be top of the agenda but first things first, defending the African Games title in Accra.
The Challenger Cup and World Cup in Japan will then give the technical staff a clear picture of the first team before the high stakes Olympic qualifiers where the ticket to Paris will be on offer.
And with the foreign-based legion of Sharon Chepchumba (Aris, Greece), Veronica Adhiambo (Tarsus, Turkey), Noel Murambi (Lemesos, Cyprus) and Violet Makuto (Al Wasl, UAE) all enjoying rich form at their new work stations, one can’t be blamed for dreaming big.
Can the year begin already!
