We’re hosting to qualify for Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, says Ladele

[files] Volleyball . Photo/PIXABAY

The country’s para volleyball men and women teams are prepared to sweep the slots at the forthcoming Paris 2024 Paralympic Games’ qualifiers beginning on January 29, 2024, at the Molade Okoya Thomas Indoor Sports Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, the Nigeria Para Volleyball Federation (NPVF), has said.

To be hosted by federation, led by Kayode Ladele, the event welcomes teams from Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Algeria, and Libya, all vying for a chance to participate in the Paralympic Games in Paris.

Reviewing the origins of this journey, Ladele disclosed that upon assuming the board’s leadership, they identified the imperative of establishing a sustainable structure. Consequently, they enlisted the expertise of Egyptian coach, Elaiuty Mosaad, to create a comprehensive technical framework for players and coaches.

Speaking ahead of the qualifiers, he said, “in preparing them for this, when we started, we got a foreign coach, one of the best coaches in the world in sitting volleyball. He spent a month with players and selected coaches, to prepare them.”

Ladele said the federation chose Mosaad, who led Egypt to a bronze medal finish at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, because the NPVF knew that getting one of the best coaches in the world with a proven track record was non-negotiable.

In the men’s pre-Olympics qualifiers, Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco, and Kenya are in Group A, while the women’s team will face competition from Kenya, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe. The Nigerian men’s team will get their campaign underway with a game against Kenya, and the women will meet Zimbabwe.

Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox every day of the week. Stay informed with the Guardian’s leading coverage