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Xinhua, January 21, 2012
Kenya's women's volleyball team is likely to miss out of the Africa volleyball qualifiers and subsequently the London 2012 Olympics due to a cash strapped federation.
According to the Kenya Volleyball Federation Chairman Waithaka Kioni, the federation is lacking a consistent sponsor as the team prepares to head to Blida, Algeria for the African qualifiers which will take place later this month.
"As a federation we are lacking revenue base to sustain our preparations for the Olympic qualifiers," Kioni told Xinhua in a telephone interview late on Friday.
He accused the Kenya Sports Stadia Management for locking out the women's volleyball team that has been training on the volleyball gymnasium located at the Kasarani stadium in Nairobi.
On Friday the ladies volleyball team were spotted in the stadium working on some light exercises as the access to the training grounds were restricted by the stadium management.
But according to Stadium's Public Relations Officer Rakki Asman, the Kenya Volleyball Federation owes the stadium an outstanding debt of over 23,250 U.S. dollars that has accrued in a period of 2 years and the stadium finds it difficult to accommodate the team.
"We are finding it difficult to host the women volleyball team in our facilities due to the debt that the team is accruing as they practice in our gymnasium and being accommodated in our hostels,
unfortunately the federation has gone against the signed contract we entered with them," Rakki said.
Waithaka further accused the Sports Stadia Management which is a public facility of neglecting its primary role of supporting Kenyans sports disciplines instead concentrating on revenue collection.
But Rakki defended the organization decision to revenue raise since they get limited funding from the Kenya government and hence they had to seek ways of meeting the huge bills they incur.
This new twist of events comes a week after the national team changed its training base from Nyayo National Stadium to the prestigious indoor facility at the Kasarani Gymnasium.
"For the moment there will be no otherwise than to disband the team as the federation tries to settle the matter by raising the issues with the Kenya sports ministry," Kioni said.
Kenya are the continental champions and they were their best bet in winning the tournament will have seen them book the solitary African slot to the London Olympics.
The team which is coached by Gideon Chenje are hoping for a quick resolve in the stalemate so as they see them retain their African glory.
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