Africa-Press – Kenya. Kenya is hoping to send a strong team to the Roll Ball World Cup scheduled for January In India.
Kenya Roll Ball Federation treasurer Karani Waruhiu said they are waiting for the invitation letter from the international federation.
“The national team is getting ready for the sixth edition of the World Cup next year. We have submitted our papers to the sports ministry and we hope they will consider supporting our mission,” he said.
Waruhiu, who is also the national junior team coordinator, said they expect many countries to feature in the event.
He said for the team to perform well, they need to improve their speed. “If we are to defeat countries like India, we must improve our speed work. We have strong and energetic players and that’s a plus for us,” he said.
Waruhiu also said there is an ongoing university national league and the country will host the national junior tournament in December, which will be used as a build-up.
He said they are focusing more on the juniors to ensure there is continuity in the sport. He said they are also hosting frequent tournaments to create awareness of the sport.
“Most of our players are university students and they disappear when they finish school. We want to focus on the juniors more to avoid stagnancy in the sport,” Waruhiu said.
Waruhiu also hopes the sport will be recognized by the International Olympic Committee in the near future.
He disclosed that the International federation is currently in talks with the IOC to actualize the dream. He added before the pandemic, the country had been given the right to host the Junior World Cup.
“At the moment, we are not recognised by IOC but discussions are ongoing and I am hopeful we will be included. I am optimistic the future is bright,” he said.
Waruhiu said the team missed the Commonwealth Games because of the many challenges they have been facing as a federation. He said they were facing financial challenges and a lack of training equipment.
“The sport has not been active in the country for long and it took a lot of time to pick up. We are not there yet,” Waruhiu said.
He added: “We hope in the coming days, we shall be able to buy land and at least build a standard pitch.”
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