Volley-All Festival takes over Owando in Congo Brazzaville

The 800 participants included children as young as eight, primary school kids, collegiate and lycée-aged students

11 December 2012

Owando, Republic of Congo, December 3, 2012 – The Congolese Volleyball Federation’s (FECOVO) third Volley-All Festival attracted a massive response from the students and local population of Owando, 550km west of Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo, on November 24.

FECOVO put up 18 volleyball courts on a field in front of the local prefecture office with the goal of demonstrating to the public how easy it was to learn the basics of volleyball and start practicing the sport. The federation aims to make it possible for all Congolese to have the opportunity to play and form local volleyball teams.

A total of 800 participants took part in the event, including children as young as eight, primary school kids, collegiate and lycée-level students. A wide variety of young people came out to learn, teach and have fun.

At the end of the event, materials and equipment were handed out to festival-goers so they could go home and practice volleyball in their own communities.

Congolese national television, Radio Congo, Radio Owando and TV5 Afrique all covered the event. The newspapers Brazzaville and La Nouvelle République wrote articles as well.

Looking ahead, the Ministry of Sport has committed to supporting FECOVO’s efforts. This is important as a number of schools have approached the national federation to develop permanent collaborations to promote volleyball for students.