RWANDA will host the rescheduled second round of qualifiers for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics women beach volleyball from November 11 to 15, the local volleyball body (FRVB) has confirmed. The five-day competition will take place in Rubavu District, on the shores of Lake Kivu. Initially, the tournament was due on March 25-29 but it was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic that hugely disrupted sports and international travel. In an interview with this publication on Friday, Adalbert Mfashimana, the FRVB Secretary General, said that the Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB) had already approved the proposed dates for the qualifiers in Rwanda. “We have the yes nod from CAVB,” he revealed, before noting that “However, the process of organising the tournament will first have to be approved by the Ministry of Sports guided by Covid-19 prevention measures from the Ministry of Health.” Times Sport understands that the Ministry of Sports could next week announce the resumption of collective sports, particularly group training, after athletes in some individual sports were allowed to start training in June and others in July. In the upcoming Olympic qualifiers, Rwanda will be vying for one of the two available Group B tickets against Morocco, Niger, Sudan and South Africa. The best two teams will advance to the third and final round – which will also double as the African Beach Volleyball Championship. Rwanda is represented by two teams – Charlotte Nzayisenga with Valentine Munezero and Seraphine Mukantabana alongside Benitha Mukandayisenga – in the Olympic qualifiers. For Rwanda to secure a historic first Olympics ticket in women’s beach volleyball, one of the two pairs will have to win the African championship as only one slot is allocated to Africa.
