Malkia Strikers' LA 2028 Olympic dream given massive boost

The National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) awarded the national women's volleyball team, Malkia Strikers, a Ksh6.4 Million (US $50,000) scholarship to prepare and qualify for the 2028 Olympic Games.

NOC-K Secretary General John Ogola said the funds, which have been sourced from the Olympic Solidarity, will be spread from now till 2028 before the games, which will be hosted in Los Angeles, USA.

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"The Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) will utilise the funds by picking on key championships that will be pivotal in making Malkia Strikers book a ticket to the USA for the Olympics," said Ogola.

Ogola revealed several Kenyan sports federations had submitted their applications to the Olympic Solidarity for the scholarship, where the national women's volleyball team succeeded.

The scholarship is awarded by the Olympic Solidarity to teams that stand a higher chance of qualifying for the Olympics.

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"The Olympic Solidarity granted the Malkia Strikers the scholarship based on their past performances and achievements," he added.

Olympic Solidarity aims to assist all National Olympic Committees (NOCs) with athlete development programmes, in particular those with the greatest need for it.

Ogola emphasized early preparations, hence the award of the scholarship this early, saying it will go a long way in enhancing the women's volleyball team's qualification.

Meanwhile, KVF vice president Paul Bitok expressed gratitude to NOC-K for the scholarship, saying it will enable the women's national team to qualify for the Games.

Bitok said that to qualify, they need adequate funds for logistics, and the scholarship has come in handy and at the right time for their preparations.

"We have been offered a great opportunity to qualify for the Olympics. At the moment we only need 54 points to qualify. We shall use the funds in taking part in major events to boost our points tally," said Bitok.

Kenya ranked 21st in the world is number one in the African rankings with 158 points followed by Cameroon (76 points) in second place as Egypt (46 points) is third while Algeria has 28 points.

Bitok said the first major event that Malkia Strikers is targeting is the Africa Cup of Nations to be staged on 23 August to 3 September in Nairobi.

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