WOMEN AFRICAN
OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION:
PREVIEW
THE BIG FORCES COMPETE FOR OLYMPIC PLACE
Nairobi, Kenya, January 8-: The biggest African women forces in
volleyball will start Thursday their fight for a place in the
Olympic Games in Athens 2004 through the African qualification
hosted by Kenya in the big Kasarani Hall in the capital Nairobi.
The competition will be held in a round robin form between the
participation four teams; Kenya, Egypt, Nigeria and Seychelles.
The first day will show two big clashes; Nigeria vs. Egypt and
Seychelles vs. Kenya. The competition is expected to show a big
competition as it includes the best African women teams in the
last four years. Egypt team which represented the continent in
the last two big competitions; World Championship in Germany
2002 and World Cup in Japan 2003 will be the greatest favorite
for the Olympic spot. Egypt won the last African Nations
Championship 2003 beating Kenya in their homelands in the final
and got the silver medal in the last All Africa Games. Egyptian
coach Hesham Badrawy selected all his experienced players
specially the best African player in the last ten years Tahany
Tosson and clever setter Yosra Abdelkreem.
Kenya team the second of the last African Nations' Championship
and the bronze medalist of All Africa Games is optimistic of an
Olympic place like they did in the last World Championship 2002.
the head coach David Lingaho selected his great experienced
player Violet Braza who play in Romania with some of the old
players like Lucy Chege and Dorcas Ndasaba.
Nigeria, the gold medalist in the last All Africa Games in their
homelands is now in its top form to continue new achievement
after their first ever title. The head coach, Oghuma Eghiemai
will depend on his main mixture of some experienced players like
Chinyere Onuoha and some young promising players like Lydia Ajik
and Shelia Atheikame.
Seychelles team which was very impressive in the last two
African competitions will compete for the first ever Olympic
place. The head coach, Bernard Denis who was appointed as a
successor of Nicol Lesperance, will depend also on some
experienced players like the team captain, Jerina Bonne and the
libero Antoine Gilbert.
CGI
