The FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour is set to return to Africa for the first time in nearly two years as Rubavu’s Palm Beach, in Rwanda, hosts a double-gender, 2-star event from July 14-18.
The last time international beach volleyball was played in the continent was in August 2019, when the same city hosted a one-star tournament which was won by Dutch women Iris Reinders and Mexime van Driel and Japanese men Masato Kurasaka and Kensuke Shoji.
This year’s event in Rubavu has attracted players from each of the five continents and will feature as many as 42 men’s and 33 women’s teams from 32 different countries competing over the week.
One of the highlights of the tournament in Rwanda will be the participation of Kenyan Olympic team of Gaudencia Makokha and Brackcides Khadambi. The pair, who helped their country secure the right to be part of the Games for the first time in beach volleyball with their victory at the African Continental Cup Finals three weeks ago, will play in their last tournament before heading to Tokyo.
Kenya's Gaudencia Makokha during the 2017 World Championship in ViennaThis will be Khadambi’s first experience against international opponents while Makokha previously played at the 2017 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship in Austria and the 2013 U23 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship in Poland.
Other notable names of the women’s game will also play in Rubavu, including German defender Chantal Laboureur, who will appear with her new partner Sarah Schulz, and American veteran Emily Stockman, who will partner with Traci Callahan.
The men’s side will also feature a fairly experienced field with as many as three Olympians taking part in the tournament. One of them is 52-year-old Norwergian Jorre Kjemperud. A Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 veteran, he retired from international competition in 2011, but reappeared last year playing sporadically with Stian Opsahl.
Rio 2016 Olympians Alexander Huber of Austria, who plays alongside Christoph Dressler, and Chaim Schalk of the United States, whose partner is Theo Brunner, will be among the contenders in the tournament.
Rio 2016 Olympian Chaim Schalk is part of one of the four American men's teams set to play in RubavuThe event was launched on Tuesday, with the American country quota playoff for the women, in which Aurora Davis and Sarah Schermerhorn defeated Terese Cannon and Kimberly Hildreth 2-1 (15-21, 21-19, 15-13) to secure the last spot in the qualification tournament.
Qualification takes place on Wednesday and will advance six teams in each gender to Thursday’s main draw. The medal matches for both men and women will happen on Sunday.
Quick links:
FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour - Rubavu
Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
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