Botswana dominates beach volleyball tour
The Zone VI Beach Volleyball Tour, which took place over the Easter weekend, was a resounding success.Backed by a vibrant crowd and loud roars, the men from Botswana defeated Angola 2–0 in an exciting, closely-contested final match at the competition, which took place at Mole Beach in Swakopmund.
The women’s team from Botswana also clinched a victory against Angola, 2–1, in an entertaining final match. In the men’s category, Angola was awarded a silver medal, while another team from Botswana was awarded a bronze medal. In the women’s category, Team Angola won second place, and Zimbabwe clinched third place.
Winners
George Chiswaniso (25), one of the gold medal winners, said that it was a tough challenge due to the weather. "As you know, Botswana is a landlocked country, so we were not familiar with this kind of weather. The guys from Angola were also really good, but I am thankful to my partner for holding it down with me in the finals. I am glad that our training did indeed pay off".
Gold medal winner for Botswana’s women's team, Cathy Boima (27), said that it was a tough game.
"We played these girls before, and they beat us. This time around, we knew that we had to change our game plan because they knew how we play. Overall, it was an amazing experience here in Namibia. We are looking forward to performing better next month at the games in Mozambique".
Growing the sport
The three-day competition was hosted by the Namibian Volleyball Federation (NVF) in conjunction with the Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) and the Confederation of African Volleyball Zone 6.
The event saw a total of 31 teams (14 female and 17 male teams) competing from five different countries, namely Namibia and Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
According to NVF president Hillary Imbuwa, the Confederation of African Volleyball Zone VI introduced the event last year with the aim of growing and promoting beach volleyball in Southern Africa.
"Last year we had eight tours in different countries, but unfortunately Namibia did not host. This year we plan to host five tours, with this one in Swakopmund being the first. The next one is scheduled for Mozambique".
Improved competition
Imbuwa pointed out that southern Africa has been left behind for many years in terms of the level of play.
He said for this reason, the Confederation of African Volleyball Zone 6 introduced this tournament in order to provide better competition.
"For every competition played, the players and teams are ranked. This will allow the different teams to collect points from every leg played. At the end of all five legs, the top-10 teams will be awarded. This ranking will also be used to qualify the beach volleyball teams for the African Championships or even the Olympics".
World-class game
He added that the event was world-class. "We received positive feedback from the parents, spectators and counterparts from other countries. They have all congratulated Namibia for having done a great job hosting this tournament. Some even said that this is one of the best tournaments they have seen in southern Africa".
He encouraged interested parties to join and support the sport.
"Volleyball is a beautiful game. You get to choose whether you want to have it indoors or outdoors. However, the future of volleyball is definitely in outdoor volleyball because it is much easier to maintain and cheaper".
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