NAIROBI, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Morocco will host the Kenya women's volleyball team in an international friendly in Rabat next month.
The match will be critical for Kenya in their preparation for the upcoming Volleyball World Cup, to be held in Japan in September. Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) president Waithaka Kioni said Morocco asked for the friendly and that Kenya was happy to oblige.
"Both teams are preparing for the Africa Games. But Kenya has other tournaments lined up, including the World Cup and the Intercontinental Olympic Games qualifiers. These are critical tournaments that demand the best preparations," said Kioni on Tuesday in Nairobi.
Kenya returned home from Cairo on Tuesday after losing to Cameroon in the Africa Cup of Nations final, but will have no time to rest as they prepare for the Intercontinental Olympic qualification tournament, which will be held in Rome, Italy from August 2 to 4.
Trained by Italian coach Shailen Radmoo, Kenya are pooled alongside hosts Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium, with the winning team securing a direct ticket to the Tokyo Olympics.
Kenya will also have to consolidate their strength after the Olympic qualifiers to battle for bragging rights at the Africa Games, which start in Rabat, Morocco on August 19.
Kioni said the match against Morocco will help Kenya to grow and gauge their preparedness ahead of the Africa Games, where they will be seeking to defend the title they won in 2015 in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
