TAVA notes huge success in Nyerere Volleyball tour

TANZANIA Amateur Volleyball Association (TAVA) said the just climaxed Mwalimu Nyerere Memorial Volleyball tournament was a huge success region wise.

This year’s tournament according to TAVA had a bigger East African as Kenyan teams; General Service Unit and Directorate Criminal Investigation retained the men and women’s titles.

Mwanza Transit Camp (MTC) and Magereza finished third overall in men and women’s categories. Rwandan APR finished the overall runner up in both men and women’s categories.

Organised by TAVA, the annual tournament that ended on Friday in Arusha, drew 22 teams from East African Community member states.

The tournament was among the sports activities designed to honour the founding father of the nation, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere.

The association’s Assistant Secretary General Shukuru Ally said he was delighted by a very exciting and very competitive event compared to that of last year.

He said the tournament is an answer to the efforts being carried out by TAVA to motivate development of volleyball and improve its status.

“Teams competed in terms of skills and technical approach in order to win, something that made the winners to win by a narrow margin,” he noted.

Talking on the  domestic  teams’ performance, he said it is satisfactory as the country starts to build stronger volleyball teams.

“Our teams have worked very hard and fought to finish third in the both categories, it was not an easy ride.

“There are foreign teams, we have beaten them. This is a good sign that we are not far from the top-level teams.”

The plan of the association is to enable and help teams to raise their standards by helping them organise as many tournaments as possible and providing expert advice.

Four countries that sent participants are Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi and host Tanzania.

The five-day memorial tournament involved 14 men’s teams pooled into three groups and 10 women’s teams pooled in two groups.

Men’s teams placed in Group A were GSU, KIUT (Kampala International University of Tanzania), Chui and Mipango.

Group B had APR, Rukinzo of Burundi, Jeshi Stars, and Karatu and Group C were Pentagon, JKT, Arusha Champion, Kenya Forest and Mbulu.

Women’s category teams were Magereza, KIUT, Jeshi Stars, JKT, Star Girls, Golden Wings, Chui and Orkeeswa from Tanzania and APR, DCI and Young Spikers all of Kenya.