Bitok Upbeat As Community Heroes Volleyball Tournament Attracts Over 100 Teams

From Left: Kenya Volleyball Federation Second Vice Chairman David Kilundo, Nandi County Senator Samson Cherargei and Malkia Strikers head coach Paul Bitok during the launch of the second edition of National Community Heroes Volleyball tournament in Nairobi on Tuesday November 29, 2022. PHOTO/ JONAH ONYANGO (Standard)

NAIROBI, Kenya- Over 100 teams are gearing up for the second edition of the National Community Heroes Volleyball tournament to be held at the Koitalel Samoei University in Mosoriot, Nandi County on December 10-11, 2022.

The tournament will be preceded by the first leg of the Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) leg at the same venue on December 9, 2022.

Expected to defend their title are the newly crowned East Africa Secondary Schools Sports Association boys volleyball champions Cheptil Secondary who have sent a strong warning in the schools category.

“The tournament is growing in leaps and bounds. We had 88 teams from the Premier League, community and schools categories in the inaugural edition.

“This time we are happy as the number has already swelled to 100 and more teams are continuing to register,” tournament coordinator Paul Bitok told Standard Sports.

Bitok, who also doubles as the national women team, the Malkia Strikers, head coach underlined that the objective of the competition is to uplift the standard of the game in Kenya.

Nandi County Senator Samson Cherargei (Right) enjoys a light moment during the launch of the second edition of National Community Heroes Volleyball tournament in Nairobi on Tuesday November 29, 2022. PHOTO/ JONAH ONYANGO (Standard)

“Before the opening leg of the league and the tournament we will have the coaching and refereeing courses at the venue a week before the contests,” Bitok said.

Tournament founder Samson Cherargei who is also the Nandi County Senator said the competition to be graced by top clubs in the league will help expose raw talents to be tapped by the KVF panel of selectors.

“We are happy that we have Bitok who will lead in the identification of the talented players,” Cherargei underscored.

“We have also received millions of seedlings from His Excellency President William Ruto that we will plant at the university and the surrounding secondary and primary schools in the region.

“This is part of the tournament mission which is to support sustainable actions on climate change,” he stated.

The Senator said Kenya’s anti-doping agency, ADAK, will also be at the venue to train players and provide capacity building on anti-doping issues currently bedeviling the country.

“Top three teams in each category will go home with prize money. Also ten heroes from the Rift Valley region will be honored during the tournament.

“We will also reward two players who have been outstanding in the KVF league this season,” Cherargei said.

Nandi County Senator Samson Cherargei (with the ball in the middle) with sponsors and technical team during the launch of the second edition of National Community Heroes Volleyball tournament in Nairobi on Tuesday November 29, 2022. PHOTO/ JONAH ONYANGO (Standard)

Among sponsors on board in the tournament are gaming firm SportPesa that will kit all the teams, Coca Cola will be the official drink partners, Equity Bank, Keroche Breweries, the Nairobi Sports House, M-Rock Tea among others.

The KVF Second Vice Chairman David Kilundo said the federation is heavily involved in the tournament as part of its mission which is to spread the game to the grassroots.

“We are also glad that coaches and referees will be trained. This is great news as it will ensure that the game is run by capable officials,” Kilundo said.

Kenya Pipeline Team Manager Hellen Gichuru lauded the tournament saying: “Going by the number of teams registering, we can say that this competition is growing rapidly. This means there is an ongoing revolution in volleyball.”