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Four African Teams, One Olympic Place 🌍
Kenya play Cameroon and Rwanda play Egypt in Thursday's semi-finals in Nairobi, and the winner on Friday goes to Los Angeles. Kenya have won this championship ten times.
Rwanda beat Ghana 3-1 (25-17, 24-26, 25-19, 25-18) at the Kasarani Indoor Arena on Tuesday to reach the semi-finals of the African Nations Championship, where the prize is a place at the Los Angeles Olympics.
Thursday's semi-finals are Kenya against Cameroon and Rwanda against Egypt, with the final and the Olympic place going on Friday.
Cameroon beat Uganda 3-0 on Tuesday, which the African confederation reported. Kenya and Egypt went through as well. We cannot tell you how, because no source reachable from here has published either scoreline.
Kenya are the hosts and the most decorated team in the competition, with ten titles and four second places, according to Volleyball World. They are ranked 24th in the world and are the highest-ranked African side.
The tournament started on 25 August and finishes on Friday, across the Kasarani Indoor Arena and the Ulinzi Sports Complex. The FIVB says sixteen federations entered it and Volleyball World's own preview says fifteen teams in four pools.
Kenya Lost All Three Matches in Paris
Kenya were the last African team to play Olympic volleyball, at Paris in 2024, and they lost all three of their pool matches. The last of them was a straight-sets defeat to Japan on 3 August 2024.
One direct place is on offer in Nairobi and there is no second one anywhere on the continent.
The top three finishers also qualify for the 2027 World Cup, per the FIVB, which is the consolation that nobody here came for. Kenya reached the last eight by sweeping Nigeria 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-15) on 29 August.
Kenya head coach Geoffrey Omondi told Mike Kihaki of The Standard this after the Nigeria match.
"It is a good start for us in our quest to qualify for the Olympics. The girls did well, and hopefully we continue that way."
Rwanda Are the Only Semi-Finalist Without a Title
Rwanda have never won this championship and their best finish is fourth, in 2023. Egypt have won it three times and so have Cameroon, who hold twelve continental medals, according to Volleyball World.
Rwanda's Aloysie Tuyishime, an opposite hitter, scored 22 points against Ghana and was named player of the match, which KT Press reported. Rwanda won 99 rallies to Ghana's 80 in a match that ran an hour and 45 minutes.
Kenya are two matches from an eleventh continental title and from the Olympic place that now comes with it, and both matches are in Nairobi. Cameroon, on Thursday, have won this three times themselves.
