29 Jun 2023

Botswana’s beach volleyball team is expected to jet back home Sunday following a loss-riddled performance at the just-ended 2^nd Africa Beach Games title in Hammamet, Tunisia.  

The men’s national team suffered a series of losses, losing all their games by a wide margin of 2–0 against Gambia, Tunisia and Algeria and the tournament’s rookies Nigeria.

In an interview, the team’s Chef De Mission, Moagi Sharp said the team did not manage to advance past the group stages.

“However, they are in good spirits, this serves as good exposure for our team of young athletes. The limited time spent in preparations ahead of the games impacted their performance, but we are positive that given adequate preparatory support, they will go from strength to strength continentally and internationally,” Sharp said.

Despite its shoddy performance in Tunisia, the team has been making strides in African beach volley, amplified by the fact that Botswana has no natural beach.

The team Head Coach, Kabelo Marumo said they were up against a tough group, but there were so many positives to glean.  

He said the games were insightful as he had picked young squad which he intended to groom and nurture.  

The games exposed the team to an international feel of competiveness, which will gear them up for future games.

“For most of them, it was their first competition. The Africa Beach Games come once every four years, so preparing for the contest is not easy as there are no preliminary competitions to keep the team in shape,” Marumo said. ENDs