Africa-Press – Tanzania. ONCE again, the prestigious East Africa Volleyball Championship that was scheduled to be held this month has been cancelled due to technical reasons.
Organised by Mwanza based Home Life Sports (HOLIS), the annual event was scheduled to be held in Dodoma from June 23 to 27 this year.
HOLIS Chairman Majaliwa Mayunga has confirmed to the ‘Sunday News’ from Mwanza yesterday that the event which for the first time was expected to be held in Dodoma and graced by Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Damas Ndumbaro has been cancelled.
The annual tournament last year was halted by the global Coronavirus crisis, but organisers were optimistic that the event could take Dodoma by storm this year.
Mayunga said that among other reasons the cancelation was due to the delay for the arrival of tournament facilities and equipment from sponsors.
He said that other reasons are the poor response of teams, pointing out that as of June 9th, this year not even a single team had officially confirmed participation.
The organisers said that they expected volleyball stars who have captivated hundreds of fans across East Africa with their incredible achievements over the years to come and showcase their skills.
Among others, the event is designed to boost sports tourism in the country. “Sports have the power to inspire, unite people from diverse backgrounds and create hope. It’s so much more than just a game,” he said.
Organisers also planned to utilise the event to promote juniors as were also invited Under- 18 teams to challenge each other.
The event was known as Mirjam East Africa Championship, for two consecutive years and it was held in Mwanza.
Hefty prizes including cash money have been also arranged for winners of the tournament of which trophy and 5m/- was set aside for first prize, 3m/- and 2m/- was to go to second and third placed teams.
HOLIS has been doing a wonderful job towards promoting and developing the game in the country from grassroots in just a few years since it was introduced.
