FOUR African volleyball teams will miss the Swatch Junior World Beach Volleyball Championship in Halifax, Canada after they were denied entry Visas to the North American country.Rwanda, Burundi, Morocco and Guinea Conakry were among the 32 teams that qualified to take part.The decision against the Rwandan team was taken by officials at the Canadian High Commission in Nairobi, Kenya and communicated on August 23 to the Rwanda Volleyball Federation and the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), responsible for organising the tournament.According to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Culture and Sports, Edward Kalisa, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and FIVB, tried to intervene in vain.“The Canadian Embassy was not convinced that the athletes will leave Canada after the competion,” the ministry of sports said in a statement.While the Canadian embassy officials could not be reached by press time, a notification denying entry read: “I am not satisfied that you (team) have sufficient funds, including income or assets, to carry out your stated purpose of going to Canada or to maintain yourself while in Canada and effect your departure.”According to the Ministry of sports, FIVB - the organisers – were to cover accommodation costs of the team.The Rwanda Junior Women Beach Volleyball National team are the holders of the Golden medal in Africa, after winning the continental tournament last month, having beaten South Africa in the final. The Swatch Junior World Beach Volleyball Championship starts today until September 3.The Rwandan team was supposed to travel last Sunday evening. The Rwanda Volleyball Federation said it would send a complaint to the FIVB, imploring it to take appropriate measures against Canada, including banning it from hosting such competitions.
