Africa-Press – Lesotho. Hosted by Mozambique in Maputo, Lesotho alongside Zimbabwe, Botswana and Zambia participated in the recent Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB) National
Federations Under-21 Beach Volleyball Tournament played in Mozambique, Maputo[E1] . The team, led by Tanki Nkaki as both teams’ coach comprised of male players Lehlohonolo Phama
and Rapuleng Tšoeu and females Sebongile Sethunya and Bongiwe Sethunya who altogether formed a team of two pairs in representation of Lesotho. This was Lesotho’s
first visit and participation at the beach volleyball regional tournaments after the sport was officially introduced in the country last year. Talking to Informative
Sport upon the team’s arrival home, Nkaki was not the proudest coach as he acknowledged his team’s underperformance, admittedly citing that ‘even a single win was a struggle’ as most of their opponents were far ahead of Lesotho
in terms of experience they have been in the sport for a longer time. Before this particular event, the team had only participated in no more than 3 beach
volleyball games, “We are still far behind,” he said, further mentioning the need for participation in more games prior to the team’s next exposure, especially of this magnitude.
“There is so much work needed for young players to perform well but they tried their best,”
Nkaki said as he finally acknowledged the team’s effort despite the results. He admits international exposure through such tournaments to be a complete necessity
whether teams win or lose. Beyond this he appreciated the games’ various roles in directing recognition towards the country and thus Africa at large, speaking in Lesotho’s newly acquired capacity
that “due to being active in these kind of tournaments, we can stand as potential hosts to any of CAVB tournaments,” stated Nkaki. For the country’s timely advancement in the sport, he emphasized serious need of facilities, high
quality equipment, tournament sponsors, early and efficient preparations of athletes prior to tournaments, and the availability of well-trained coaches.
On the other hand Lesotho Volleyball Association (LVA) Public Relations Officer (PRO) Buller Phalatsi, introduced the perception that Lesotho’s experience at these games was
a learning curve for us as a country. He believes frequency of Lesotho’s participation in more tournaments will help improve the team’s efficiency. At the moment
Lesotho has only one beach volleyball playground in Maseru, Lepereng. Phalatsi highlighted that they are still in search for sponsors to help add more beach volleyball grounds in Lesotho. [E1]When?
